She Who Guards The Gate
by Snowlily246
Summary: Truth can't interfere directly in the affairs of humans, or at least that was the case before Himiko. Born with an amazing ability to speak directly to Truth she became his Gatekeeper and enforcer. She would deal with those who darned to violate Truth's law of Equivalency in alchemy. Now Himiko is dead and her responsibilities fall to her daughter, Hinata Hyuga. The new Gatekeeper.
1. The Arrival

**Hello my readers! Welcome to the first chapter of Daughter of Compassion's rewrite! There are quite a few changes to the story and I hope you all enjoy it. The Gatekeeper Saga will be finished!  
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 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Fullmetal Alchemist series or the Naruto series, nor any of the characters that belong the their respective anime. This story is written merely out of personal enjoyment and a need to better my writing. I supplied the bar tender with a name but he is still a character from Fullmetal Alchemist, therefore I DO NOT own him.**

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Chapter 1

The night was calm and still, Hinata breathed in the midnight air from her place on the roof of the Hyuga Compound. This would be her last night in the Elemental Nations; she wanted to treasure it.

The twelve year old genin wrapped her arms around her legs, thankful for the warmth her jacket provided against the occasional chilly breeze. There was so much for her to think about; her mother's letter, the responsibilities that awaited her, and how much she would miss her friends here.

There was also the fact that her situation still felt unreal.

Hinata had already said good-bye to her team – in a way. They were under the impression she was traveling with her father and sister to a diplomatic meeting with another high influential family. They thought she would be gone for a few days at most.

They didn't know she might not be coming back.

Sighing, the young Hyuga made her way off the roof, climbing back into her room through her window. The Compound was eerily quiet and Hinata felt as if every sound she made was amplified tenfold.

After changing into nightwear Hinata lied in her bed, her thoughts coming full circle and heading toward her mother again.

Her mother, how Hinata missed her so.

Himiko Hyuga, Hinata's dearly loved mother, had passed away some years ago when Hinata had barely turned four. In that time, due to politics, her father had remarried and had a second child by his new wife. Another daughter they named Hanabi.

Hinata's stepmother Hitomi, was a kind woman and the motherless child had formed a shy attachment to her that persisted for years. Hitomi herself had died two years ago when Hinata was ten, leaving Hiashi Hyuga a widower once more.

In the aftermath of his second wife's death Hiashi had grown a little more cold, and a little more strict as a way to hide and deal with his feelings. Hinata couldn't help but notice after Hitomi's death that her father did not have much of a problem looking at Hanabi, unlike when Himiko died. Hiashi didn't look at Hinata for several weeks after the funeral.

Of course Hanabi greatly resembled their father, something Hinata had to consider. She herself was the image of her late mother with the exception of the eyes, and the girl couldn't guess how hard it must have been for her father to look at her and see who he had lost.

Hinata fingered the ruby gemstone hanging from the black cord that had been in the same envelope that held her mother's letter. The ruby was a chunk no bigger than a toddler's fisted hand.

The girl had always known she wasn't normal – well above having eyes that could see through a person's body to view their inner organs and such – and never felt like she belonged in the Leaf Village. She was always on a different page from everyone else – and when she looked at the world she realized that her sight was different from even her fellow Hyugas.

It wasn't literally her sight that was different however, it was more about how she saw the world; her perspective of it that is. That was the best way she could describe it, and yet the explanation still felt short at times. It was a constant battle inside of her with Hinata wrestling with her feeling of isolation and the thought that she was just being too sensitive. This inner war did not help her low self-esteem.

With these thoughts Hinata fell into an uneasy sleep.

 **XXX**

She woke up at the crack of dawn, her feelings of uneasiness coming full force as she stepped off her bed and quietly dressed.

Hinata's new outfit had significant differences to what she usually wore when on duty. Instead of a somewhat heavy jacket that concealed her torso and made her look smaller than what she really was Hinata wore a cream colored shirt under a jean jacket. The shirt itself had sleeves that went to her elbows, there was also a strip of ribbon sewed into the shirt just under her breasts that encircled the whole thing. The shirt flowed down to her hips, covering the top of the light colored jean capris Hinata had on. Hinata's shoes were simple cream colored ninja sandals.

The only thing retained from her old outfit was her ninja headband, the metal engraved with her Hidden Village's symbol was attached to the right sleeve of her jacket.

Grabbing the dark backpack that held everything she would need the Hyuga took one last look around her bedroom before stepping out and closing the door behind her.

The journey was a short, but tense, one. Hiashi was as silent as ever and while Hanabi was just as quiet her emotions showed clearly on her face. The Hyuga guards that accompanied them gave no inkling as to what they thought of all this.

When the group reached the bent in the road Hinata turned to face her father and sister.

"Good bye Father, Hanabi. I-I'll miss both of you." Hinata said shyly.

Hiashi simply nodded, his face wasn't hard but it was also not emotional. Hanabi on the other hand, stepped forward and took her half-sister's hands.

"I'll miss you too," The seven year old said. There was conflict in her face; she didn't fully understand why her sister had to leave. She only knew that it had to do with something Hinata's mother had entrusted to her. Hiashi refused to tell Hanabi more, stating she would get the whole truth in a few years.

Hinata smiled and raised a hand to briefly touch Hanabi's face, brushing some hair out of the girl's face as she did so.

"Take care," Hinata said. She bowed once to her father who nodded again, and then went down the road that curved toward her right. She forced herself not to look back.

The road Hinata walked was not as traveled as the one her family was using so the path was not as define. Weeds choked the grass and flowers around her, and telltale signs of wildlife having crossed the path were everywhere.

Eventually Hinata found the indent in the tree described in her mother's letter and drifted from the faded pathway to venture into the woods. The giant trees' thick branches were covered in leafy greens that blocked most of the sunlight, only allowing the occasional ray of light to peak through.

Abruptly the forest thinned and Hinata stumbled into a naked clearing, devoid of any trees or flowers. Only ordinary green grass was abundant – however there were areas that they had seemingly been unable to grow on. Staying back, Hinata made out the bare lines and saw that they created a circle with strange designs inside it.

"This is it." Hinata spoke to herself, half hesitate and half disbelieving she walked to the center of the circle.

 _'If the books Mother left me are telling the truth, then to activate this transmutation circle I have to clap my hands and touch the ground.'_ Hinata thought.

Hinata took a deep breath, and then clapped her hands together.

As soon as her palms connected the ruby hanging from its cord started to glow. The young Hyuga swallowed hard but did not pull her palms apart. She took another breath and thought about her destination, willing herself to be taken there . . .

Then she leaned down and touched the ground with both hands opened, fingers splayed apart.

The ruby lit up to such a degree Hinata thought it might burst apart from all the light it was unleashing. She gasped when the transmutation circle glowed – and when she looked at her hands saw that they were fading away.

"W-what?" Hinata choked out. A foreign presence made itself known in her mind, and there was a deep chuckle.

The sound frightened Hinata but she did not feel threatened by it – there was no malice in the laugh.

 ** _"You've kept me waiting quite a while, little Gatekeeper."_**

Then Hinata was pulled out of the forest and out of the Elemental Nations. The girl screamed, and struggled to keep herself conscious but lost the battle. The last thing she saw before she blacked out was an endless expanse of white – and a pair of towering black doors opening for her.

 **XXX**

The first thing Hinata registered when she started to regain consciousness was how soft the ground she was lying on was. When she recognized the feel of the softness as a mattress Hinata's eyes snapped open and she shot up, the blanket that had been put over her falling to the ground, instantly realizing she was in a nightgown that she had packed.

Her pupil less eyes scanned the room, seeing gold colored walls and daylight streaming into the room from an open window that was framed by rose red curtains.

There was a dresser of dark brown wood to her right and a full length mirror attached to the wall in front of her. Hinata's bed was pushed against the wall to her left, where the window also was, and so there was nothing more to that side. Upon further observation Hinata spied her backpack leaning against the wall next to the door, with her ninja sandals beside it.

Hinata raised her hand to her throat and felt the ruby hanging securely against her naked collarbone. With a sigh of relief she started to step out of the bed . . .

Then the door opened.

Hinata froze as the person blinked, and then realized that the young Hyuga was awake.

"Oh, thank goodness!" The girl said, a happy smile on her face. The girl's skin was darker than Hinata's and she was dressed in a simple sleeveless light dress. Dark brown hair reached her waist and pink bangs framed the girl's face. Her eyes were purple and examined Hinata from head to toe.

"You don't look any worse for wear; I was getting worried, you've been asleep for three days. Even Father Cornello couldn't wake you up!" The girl rambled.

Hinata's white eyes drew together, confusion evident on her face.

"Uh, I'm s-sorry?" She stammered, not knowing what else to say.

The girl blinked again before blushing.

"I'm sorry, here you are just woken up and I start rambling! Let's start again," At this she walked up to Hinata who was still sitting on the bed, "My name is Rose Thomas, you're in the desert village Lior. I found you collapsed outside town, can you tell me your name?"

Hinata processed what Rose had just told her and then responded, "My name is Hinata Hyuga," She leaned forward, bowing to Rose, "Thank you very much for helping me!"

"There's no need to thank me, I couldn't just leave you there!" Rose said, looking embarrassed, secretly she wondered at the younger girl's name – it sounded foreign. And those eyes . . .

Hinata straightened up again and smiled shyly at Rose who beamed back.

"You must be starving!" Rose suddenly said, "Wait right here, I'll be back with something for you to eat!"

With that she left the room and Hinata to her thoughts.

The Hyuga looked at her hands, and then to the window where she could hear birdsong and conversations taking place.

"Well," Hinata said to herself, trying to be positive, "I guess all that's left is to find that person."

 **xxx**

The next day Hinata explored the town, having regained her sense of balance, which she had discovered was terribly off when she first tried to walk.

Rose had gone on some errand and Hinata, not wanting to trouble her, decided to simply get a look around and try to get an objective view on the "Father Cornello" Rose always kept talking about.

Hinata was too polite to voice it but she severely doubted that Cornello really held the power he claimed to. Things like bringing back the dead and performing miracles were complicated and often held a hidden price.

In her wandering the girl came upon a little bar that was more like a stall – the little structure housed the drinks and such while stools were situated in the outside right in front of the bar.

At the moment there were two people sitting there that caught Hinata's undivided attention.

There was a boy who was probably around her height, with gold colored hair tied into a braid that reached past his shoulders. He wore a dark red coat with a symbol in black on the back of the coat. As Hinata drew nearer she saw that the boy also had bangs that framed either side of his face and his eyes were also gold.

The second stranger was much taller than the boy and impossible to overlook or ignore.

Hinata could see nothing of his physical features because of the body armor he wore. It covered the stranger from head to toe.

The helmet had protruding conical horn from its forehead and a protruding chin. A long white ribbon hung from the top of the helmet to hang down the armor's back and a loincloth covered the groin area of the armor.

By the time Hinata reached them the two were preparing to leave, however as he was getting up the armored man's head bumped into the ledge above him and caused the radio broadcasting Cornello's preaching to fall and shatter when it hit the ground.

"Now look what you've done!" The bar tender groaned, "That's what happens when you wear armor like that!"

"I'm sorry!" The armored boy said – he couldn't be a man, his voice was so young. At most he couldn't have been much older than Hinata herself.

"Relax, we'll fix it." The blond boy said calmly.

The armored boy then started to draw a transmutation circle around the broken radio as the blond boy told the spectators to wait and watch.

The boy clapped his hands and the radio was once again whole, Cornello's voice emitted from it as if nothing had happened.

The bar tender gaped, comparing the transmutation to Cornello's "miracles" but the two boys corrected him, explaining that what he had just seen was alchemy and that it was a science.

"We're the Elric brothers," The blond explained as his brother brought the radio to the counter and placed it in front of its baffled owner, "Not to brag but we're pretty well known."

The people gathered said they had never heard of him or his brother, however one man said he fixed things for a living and offered the boys a job if they wanted it.

Hinata watched, detached him the small gathering and observed as a beautiful woman with dark hair spoke up. She had been sitting on the last stool to the right and wore a shawl like cloth over her head, shoulders and back.

The woman's smile made Hinata feel wary, as if she should put, and keep, her guard up.

"They don't need a job, that's the Fullmetal Alchemist Edward Elric, he's a real celebrity in D city. It's said that he's a child prodigy." The woman said, her smile unchanging as she talked.

The blond boy, Edward, simply smiled.

The people reacted immediately and surrounded the armor man, mistaking him for his brother. They were all talking and making observations out loud, one man asked the boy if he would come to his daughter's birthday party.

"I'm not the Fullmetal Alchemist," The boy said, "He is!"

The people turned their attention to Edward who looked less than pleased about the case of mistaken identification.

"That shorty?" One man asked.

It was if the spark of anger in Edward flared and turned into an inferno. He roughly grabbed two men by the back of their shirts and swing them around and around, hurling verbal abuse as he did so.

Hinata took a step back as he shouted.

"SHORTY HUH? CAN A SHORTY DO THIS?! WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANNA CALL ME?! I'M STILL GROWING YOU BACKWATER DESERT IDIOTS!"

"Someone has a temper." A voice behind Hinata commented. She turned and saw Rose, bearing a grocery bag in her arms.

The older girl smiled.

"Let's go take a look." She suggested and walked toward the chaos. After a moment Hinata followed.

"It looks like there's a lot of excitement here," Rose said, drawing everyone's attention.

"Rose," The bar tender said, his eyes lighting up.

Rose smiled warmly at everyone before speaking again.

"Don't mind me, I'd hate to spoil the fun," She said.

Hinata, hiding behind Rose, saw that Edward had stopped swinging the poor men around and that he and his brother were looking at Rose with surprise.

Well, at least Edward was surprised – Hinata couldn't quite tell with his brother.

"That's alright, I'm Alphonse Elric." The armored boy said, bowing politely.

Ed released the two men he had been swinging, and the unfortunate targets of his earlier rage dropped to the ground. Edward introduced himself as Alphonse's older brother, the Fullmetal Alchemist.

"Older, shouldn't it be the other way around?" Rose asked innocently.

Edward trembled with anger and Alphonse tried to placate his brother.

The bar tender chuckled before turning his attention to Rose – and noticed Hinata. He blinked as the young Hyuga shyly looked away from him.

"Rose, who is the young lady hiding behind you?" He asked.

Rose smiled and stepped away, leaving Hinata completely exposed. She blushed red, the color standing out against her fair skin, and bowed slightly.

"Hello, my name is Hinata Hyuga. I-It's a pleasure to meet you," Hinata managed to say to the curious listeners.

"She's the girl I found collapsed outside town a couple of days ago," Rose explained.

"Ah, is that so? Well it's nice to see you up and about," The bar tender said, "My name is Tom Lark, call me Tom, everyone does."

Hinata nodded. Everyone present politely tried to refrain from staring at her white eyes for too long.

Tom then turned his attention back to Rose, as they talked Hinata once again observed the Elric brothers.

Alphonse's helmet had two openings for the eyes shaped like half-moons, there were two glowing 'lights' that Hinata took for his eyes. Edward regarded her as she stood there, hands folded in front of her, his eye resting on the ruby like gemstone hanging around her neck.

Tom and Rose then finished talking, and it was decided that the brothers would follow her and Hinata to Cornello's "temple" since the prophet might know something about what the brothers were looking for. There was also the fact that the temple had rooms for travelers.

Alphonse seemed hesitate at first but Edward quickly said that he and his brother would be happy to take the town up on its offer.

With that the group headed toward Cornello's temple.

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 **Hope you all liked the first chapter!**

 **Sign**

 _ **Snowlily246**_


	2. A Light

**Another day another chapter. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Fullmetal Alchemist series or the Naruto series. I also do not own the characters belonging to their respective anime.**

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Chapter 2

Hinata stood outside with Edward and Alphonse – or Ed and Al as they preferred to be called, waiting for Rose to come back with the confirmation of Cornello's permission for the Elric brothers to stay in his temple.

"I've never seen eyes like yours before, you're not from around here, are you?" Al asked, curious. He was sitting on the steps next to Hinata while his brother leaned against a nearby pillar to their left.

"No, I'm not." Hinata said, looking at her folded hands, "I've only just started to travel."

"You look so young though, how old are you?" The young alchemist asked.

"I'm twelve years old," Hinata said, then looked up at him and asked, "H-how old are you and your brother?"

"Brother is fifteen, and I'm fourteen," Al said.

Hinata blinked, "Oh." She said and offered nothing else, she did not want to be on the receiving end of what Ed had done to the men who called him "shorty".

Just then Rose came out of the temple.

"Father Cornello says you can stay," She said, walking down the steps, "I'll lead you to your room."

Hinata gracefully rose from where she had been seated on the steps, she smiled shyly at the brothers.

"I suppose we part ways here, I still want to look around town. I-I'll see you later," She said with a parting bow, and then she was walking away.

The brothers and Rose watched her go until she turned a corner and was out of sight.

"She's a sweet girl." Rose said, fondness evident in her voice.

"You said you found her collapsed outside town right?" Ed asked, looking deep in thought, "Did you notice anything strange?"

"Brother," Al said, exasperated. He knew what his brother was thinking about – rumors of a Philosopher Stone in this town and then a girl with strange eyes appears under unusual circumstances. There was also that ruby gemstone Hinata wore around her neck – though they had yet to see her use any alchemy both he and his brother felt that the stone wasn't natural. It was a little . . . off.

"Other than finding her unconscious outside town?" Rose asked, frowning slightly, "Well, I smelled something strange, it was like . . . burning sand. I didn't pay much attention to it though, Hinata was dehydrated and I could tell she had been out there for a while. I just picked her up and took her to town."

"Hmm." Ed said, pushing himself off the pillar.

"Don't mind Ed, he likes to brood," Al told Rose. In truth he wanted her to dismiss Ed's behavior – the last thing they needed was Rose telling Hinata that they were being nosy about her. It would not make befriending the younger girl any easier since it would be better if they checked whether Hinata had what they were looking for before acting.

 **XXX**

The next day the townspeople gathered in the plaza for a "Miracle Gathering" which in other words was watching Cornello create statues and other treasures out of ordinary things like a block of firewood. The town here, Lior, was a religious one that worshiped a god called Leto. Every citizen, including Rose, was a follower of the prophet Cornello and the god Leto.

Hinata watched from a roof as Cornello created said statue from said block of firewood; even after endlessly pouring over the books her mother had left her about alchemy and memorizing everything in them that she could Hinata was still left a bit in awe of the science.

But not too much, the ninja arts had similar requirements to alchemy in regards to creation. However chakra would naturally be in the place of the "firewood" or "input".

In any case Hinata realized that while Cornello was using alchemy he was also ignoring the law of Equivalent Exchange. He might be her first clue.

As she looked down at the crowd, seeing their happiness and worship for Cornello's "miracles" Hinata bit her lip. The last thing she wanted to do was ruin their peace but it was likely that all of this would only hurt Lior in the long run. Sighing, she ran a hand through her hair and suddenly caught sight of Al.

The armored boy was with his older brother – who was standing on his suitcase so he could see above the crowd – and the two seemed to be talking. Hinata looked at them curiously, she had been wondering about the two since yesterday because they felt . . . off. It reminding her of the energy she felt when she was being carried across that endless white expanse to the Gate.

Hinata debated with herself for a moment and then hesitantly activated her Byakugan. Her white eyes gained pupils and the veins on her temples became visible to the naked eye.

She covered her hand with her mouth when she realized what she was looking at; Ed's right arm and left leg . . . they were fake! Mechanical substitutes took the place of his limbs, but it was Al's body that truly shocked Hinata to the core.

There was no body in that armor, it was devoid of anything resembling flesh and blood, but what she did see left Hinata dazzled.

It was a light located on the neck of the back armor, the light was glowing steadily and pulsing, sending its energy throughout the steel. Its glow was ever changing in color, resembling a rainbow as it flashed from white to pale lavender to pale yellow and then back to white.

It was beautiful.

Marveling at it Hinata tried to figure out what that light was – whatever it happened to be it was obvious that this was "Al" . . .

Hinata deactivated her Byakugan and got to her feet.

She needed to return to her books.

 **XXX**

The young Hyuga rubbed her temples, trying to wrap her head around what her books were telling her.

Human Transmutation.

It was a forbidden practice in alchemy to bring the dead back to life, no one had ever succeeded for a very simple reason.

Alchemy was ruled by the law of Equivalent Exchange, to obtain something, something of equal value must be lost. It was a simple rule.

In Human Transmutation the problem was that no one had been able to completely fulfill that requirement.

The "ingredients" for an adult human were easy enough to obtain and almost embarrassingly could be bought by a child with their allowance. The requirement that couldn't be satisfied involved the human soul.

There was nothing on this planet that held the same value as a human soul; it also could not be created by a mere human.

Ed and Al had to have broken the taboo, there was no other explanation for the condition of Ed and especially Al's bodies. While Ed lost his limbs Al had lost his entire body and in desperation his brother must have pulled his soul back to the living and bound it to the armor before it crossed over.

That only left one question . . .

Who had they tried to bring back?

Hinata put the book back in her backpack and leaned back in her chair thinking about her mother. If she had known about alchemy back then would she have tried to bring her back?

No, the answer came back to her immediately, she would not have tried Human Transmutation. Her reasoning was simple; first Hinata knew once she read the warnings she would have been frustrated but stayed away from it. The girl was one who heeded the words of her elders. Second, with her low self-esteem she would not have believed herself capable of performing such science. Thirdly, and perhaps the most important – Hinata would have been terrified of the price her mother might have to pay in exchange for returning to the world of the living.

As she was thinking this there was a knock on the door, startled Hinata looked up and heard Al's voice.

"Hello, Hinata are you there? It's Alphonse, can I come in?"

"Y-yes, come in, the door is open." Hinata said after making sure her books were out of sight.

The door creaked open and Alphonse came in, looking once around the room before his gaze settled on her.

"I'm sorry if I disturbed you," He started to say.

Hinata shook her head quickly, "N-no, I was just l-lost in thought. Did you need something?"

"Oh, well . . . Rose said you haven't eaten since this morning so . . ." Here Hinata noticed the bag in his hand, "I brought you something."

As if on cue Hinata became aware of how hollow her stomach felt. She had been so absorbed in her books she hadn't notice time ticking by, a glance at the window showed her the sun ready to retire for the day.

Hinata blushed when her stomach growled loudly and quickly rose from her chair, subconsciously pushing her index fingers together.

"T-thank you for bringing me dinner." She managed to say, embarrassed.

"It's no problem," Al said setting the bag on the table that happened to be between them, "I wanted to do it, and maybe we can talk a bit. I have to admit I'm curious about you."

"O-okay."

It was silent for a few minutes as Hinata took out the food Al had brought her – it was a salad with fresh lettuce leafs and cut fruit. She smiled at him once more, and then asked him if he wanted any.

She knew he'd say no – he didn't need to eat after all nor did he feel hunger – but Hinata felt it would be rude to not at least ask.

As expected Al declined, claiming he had already eaten.

Once again silence pressed around them as Hinata ate, Al finally broke it with a question.

"So, do you have a big family?"

Hinata swallowed what she had in her mouth and searched for the right way to answer his question.

"Yes and no, I'm a member of a clan with high standing. M-my immediate family and extended family is small – just me, my sister, my father and my cousin. Outside of that are other Hyugas who have distant blood ties with but n-no close relation." Hinata explained.

"That sounds interesting, where are you from?" He asked.

Starting to fib Hinata said, "You probably couldn't say it in your l-language." Now that she thought about it Hinata realized that it was a stroke of good fortune there was no language barrier for her to overcome. "It's across the sea, I actually just k-kind of happened into Amestris, I was sick and brought here for treatment, I don't remember much during that time. I – I'm not sure where my family is at the moment."

"I see," Al said, "Are . . .are you traveling around looking for them?"

Hinata shook her head, "No, my clan and I . . . we've gone our separate ways. I was left behind."

There was an unmistakable sadness in her voice and Al saw an old depression settle into her face. Apparently Hinata had not been blessed with an easy home life.

"What do you mean "left behind"? Al asked, his voice sounding like he would be frowning if he could.

"There's something I have to do, something my mother wasn't able to finish. I'm mostly doing this for her." Hinata explained. Her salad sat on the table, half finished.

"Why isn't she here with you then?" Al asked, confused, "I mean, why can't she finish whatever it was she left undone?"

"Mother died, a very long time ago." Hinata said simply. She didn't break into tears or get emotional – this was an old grief she had accustomed herself to. It was a sad but old fact of her past.

The following silence took her words, shook them, and then scattered the letters into the air, repulsed by them.

"That must have been hard, losing her I mean." Al finally said.

"It was the hardest time of my life," Hinata sighed, "I miss her, every moment of every day, but I try to live my life remembering the good times I had with her. My memories of Momma are my happy place."

Though she had yet to realize it the young Hyuga's stutter had vanished during the course of the conversation.

"That's a good way to cope with it." Al said softly.

Detecting the change in his voice Hinata looked at him, while there was no way for her to tell what his expression was Al's voice sounded nostalgic.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

"Huh, oh I'm fine! I just got lost in thought," Al said quickly. He looked toward the window and added, "I wonder where Brother is, I should go find him and make sure he isn't causing trouble."

"Does he cause a lot of trouble?" Hinata asked.

"More than you can imagine." Al said, sounding half exasperated and half fond of his older brother's tendency toward immaturity.

Hinata smiled, thinking of Hanabi though her younger sister differed greatly in personality to the older Elric brother.

"I-I could help you look for him if you like. I actually want to talk to Rose but I don't know where she is." The Hyuga offered.

"It would be quicker if we looked together," Al confirmed, getting up, "Alright, let's go, and thanks for the help."

After Hinata took care of the remains of her salad the two headed out.

 **xxx**

Hinata tracked down both Ed and Rose in the temple, she and Al had separated outside to cover more ground due to the building's immense structure. She hung back, not wanting to interrupt them but feeling more uncomfortable as she heard the details of the conversation.

Ed, for lack of a better term, was mocking Rose for believing that Cornello could bring people back to life. The young alchemist also brought up the fact that the materials to create an adult human body could be bought with pocket change.

Rose, getting agitated and defensive, told Ed to bring back someone from the dead if it was so easy.

"It's only a matter of time Rose," Ed said cockily. "Science will find a way, science has the answer to everything. If I were you I'd drop the scriptures and pick up an alchemy book. Alchemist are the closest things to gods there are."

He had rose from his seat on one of the benches and walked up to the offering alter to stand beside Rose.

"You're no god," Rose said with disdain, "You're nothing close to it."

"Neither is the sun, it's just a mass of hydrogen. Try to get close to it like Cornello says and you'll just burn up." Ed replied easily.

Rose looked down, her hands balled into fist.

Seeing the conversation had lulled Hinata slowly walked up to the pair.

"Edward!" She called, gaining their attention.

"Oh, it's you." He said. Rose looked slightly surprised to see her new friend at the temple.

"Your brother is looking for you, h-he should be nearby." Hinata said quickly.

"I see, well then I better find him. Thanks." Edward said and started to walk down the steps . . .then there was a "bang", Hinata squeaked, feeling her heart hammer in her chest as Al's helmet tumbled into view on the alter floor.

Ed and Rose looked at someone who was out of her vision and Hinata started to run to the scene.

"Cray, what are you doing?" Rose demanded.

"Those two are enemies of God Rose, this is his will, not my own." The man said as Hinata ran up the steps, she yelped in shock. Despite knowing that Al's armor was empty it was still a shock to see it with normal vision and especially without being able to see that light.

"I don't think so mister." Al said, his "headless" body rising, shocking Cray and Rose while also horrifying them at the same time.

Ed acted quickly and kicked the helmet at Cray who was hit in the head, Al easily caught it when it rebounded off the man's head.

As his brother replaced his helmet back onto the armor Ed laughed and said, "Strike!"

Hinata blinked, not knowing what to say when Rose's scream got her attention. She turned and saw the girl standing stiff, terrified, with her hands covering her mouth.

"He doesn't have a head!" Rose, whispered, horrified.

"Yeah, that's Al." Ed said sheepishly, as if he was trying to make light of the situation.

Please don't be scared," Al pleaded, and Hinata realized that he was wasn't just talking to Rose, "This is just how I am."

"B-but you're not there," Rose said.

"Yes, I don't have a body, but I'm still here. This is my punishment for walking on holy ground where mortals are forbidden. We made a mistake, and we're paying for it." Al said, his voice sounding tired and old.

Rose backed away, her face twisted in horror and denial. With a scream she turned away from the brothers and ran to the staircase that happened to be in the archway behind her.

"Rose, wait!" Ed called out.

"S-she's scared." Hinata said softly, getting the boys' attention.

"Are you scared?" Al asked.

"Y-yes, but not of you or your brother." Hinata admitted, only stuttering slightly.

"You don't look surprised." Ed said, looking at her steadily.

Hinata pushed her index fingers together subconsciously, and looked at the floor. What could she say?

"We should follow Rose, Brother." Al said when Hinata didn't offer his brother any answer.

"Fine, but don't expect to be left off the hook so easy." Ed warned and turned toward the staircase with Al at his heels.

Hinata looked at their retreating backs, steeled herself, and followed.

* * *

 **Hope you liked it!**

 **Sign**

 _ **Snowlily246**_


	3. Motives

**Another update! Can't wait to read your reviews!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Fullmetal Alchemist series or Naruto series, nor do I own both animes respective characters.**

* * *

Chapter 3

They left the unconscious Cray and ran down the stairs Rose had taken, which appeared to lead underground since it was only the lit torches that illuminated the way for them.

Hinata mentally chanted to herself that she had to believe in her abilities. There was no way she could complete the mission her mother had been unable to if she didn't have any confidence in herself.

It was rather easy to force her detailed doubts from the front of her mind, but there was a lingering fear that she would only be a burden to the brothers. No matter how much Hinata tried to ignore that feeling she couldn't fully suppress it.

Eventually the group came to the end of the staircase, which was marked by a set of sizable doors that were closed shut, Ed pushed them open without a second thought.

The room was completely dark, Ed took a look around with his brother at his side as Hinata lingered back.

"Not exactly where I would image a church social would be," The older brother remarked.

Suddenly the torches lit up the room as their heads burst into flames around the trio. The entire room was made of brick that looked golden in the fire's glow. Hinata saw Rose standing on a balcony of sorts some distance across from them, looking down at her folded hands.

"Well done Rose, you conquered the darkness and brought them here. Thank you." A man's voice said, Hinata looked up and saw Cornello walking down the steps of the staircase that was on either side of the balcony.

He came to as stop beside Rose and turned to face them.

"State Alchemist, brutal enforcers, I knew one of you would show up someday." Cornello said, his smile was unpleasant and indicted he had far from good intentions. He looked at them with only his right eye, leaving the left one closed as he regarded them.

"Do me a favor and don't chalk it up to pious premonitions. Just give me the stone!" Ed called out.

 _'The stone?'_ Hinata thought. _'Could be talking of that stone, the Philosopher's Stone?'_

"Would you mean this?" Cornello asked, and held up his left hand. On one finger was a gold band, which had a small rounded red stone. Hinata couldn't help but feel, however, that in comparison to her gem Cornello's stone was lackluster in color, as if it were missing something.

Ed smiled grimly.

"I knew it! Transmuting without a circle and ignoring the law of Equivalent Exchange, it only be one thing." Ed said.

"Yes, the mythical gem, the legendary amplifier, the Philosopher's Stone." Cornello confirmed.

Hinata wrapped a hand around the ruby gemstone, and solidified her resolve. This man could have the information she was looking for, she had to talk to him.

"There it is Al, it's ours." Ed whispered to his brother. Then he demanded that Cornello hand it over or he would tell the town what he was doing.

The prophet scoffed, and reminded Edward that he had brought Lior and its people out of a pit of misery. No one in Lior would want his miracles to stop and go back to that, now would they?

Ed gritted his teeth as Cornello turned to Rose and asked her what she thought.

"He's just a con man! Don't listen!" Ed shouted.

Cornello refuted that claim by listing everything he had done for Lior. Among other things he had given the people water and even money while also creating buildings for them. He had given them something to believe in.

Hinata grew more and more repulsed as he continued. Anger that she rarely, if ever, expressed bubbled to the surface.

"N-no,"

Her voice was soft but Cornello had heard her and regarded her with disinterest.

"No what?" He asked.

"Y-you did all those things for Lior because it benefitted you, because you knew the people here were desperate for something or someone to get them out of their misery. If you thought the people of Lior wouldn't be blinded by y-your "miracles" then you would have left them to die and not thought twice about it!" Her voice growing stronger Hinata stepped forward and continued, "E-even now, if you could gain more followers and more p-power by sacrificing Lior, I bet you wouldn't think twice about it! The only thing you'd t-think about is how to do it without looking like the selfish m-monster you are to the rest of the world!"

That was longest she had spoken since arriving in Lior.

Rose fisted her hands into the skirt of her dress, trying not to think about what Hinata had just said, not wanting to believe it.

"Hinata," Al said, surprised. Ed said nothing but it looked as if he was thinking about something.

"Fine words, but that won't change the fact everything I've done has also benefited the town." Cornello said, his expression was one of displeasure before he smiled that smug smile he had been wearing since he started talking.

"And yet," he added, "The military wants to stop this town from benefiting off the power God gave me, why must they ruin every paradise they come across?"

"I don't give a damn about what the military wants!" Ed shouted.

This statement surprised Cornello who had yet to see Al's empty armor and Ed's mechanic limbs.

"What?" He said.

"I'm not here for them, I'm here for me. Me and my brother, we need that stone so we can make something right again!" Ed shouted.

Before Cornello could respond to this Rose finally spoke.

"So that's it! All of this is about what you want! What about the people of Lior, what about us? You don't care!" Rose accused.

Hinata frowned, Rose's accusation possesed some truth in it.

"Rose you don't –", Al started but Ed shook his head and the younger Elric fell silent.

"That's enough talking." Cornello said and held up the hand that held the Philosopher's Stone, "Arguing isn't getting us anywhere, you want the stone? Then take it from me!"

The gem on Cornello's ring glowed a bright red and Al turned to Hinata.

"You need to get out of –", Before he could finish the ground underneath them heaved and lifted, a wave pushed the trio in three different directions. As Hinata was blown back she realized that Cornello had changed the floor into soft sand.

Cornello remarked that armor was at a disadvantage in soft sand and that transmutation circles couldn't be drawn on it either. Then he released a chimera; a being that had resulted in two animals being transmuted to fuse together.

Hinata gasped as the creature targeted a defenseless Ed and started running to him.

 _'Thank goodness I tied my weapon pouches onto my legs after I woke up._ ' She thought, and reached into the pouch strapped onto her right thigh. Just as the girl withdrew a kunai Ed clapped his hands and transmuted a spear from the sand.

Without using a transmutation circle.

Needless to say, everyone but Al was shocked as Ed swung his weapon and hit the chimera across the nose and sending it back.

Frustrated, Cornello used the stone to transmute the bird that had been riding on his shoulder several times its original size.

The green bird snapped Ed's spear in half and had just grabbed onto his machine leg with one clawed foot when Hinata threw the kunai she had.

The knife lodged itself into the bird's throat and the creature squawked, releasing Edward and making choking sounds as it hovered in the air clumsily. The alchemist took the opening and punched the bird with his right arm.

It landed a few yards away. Then the ex-heiress noticed something out of the corner of her eye.

"EDWARD!" Hinata screamed, knowing it was too late for her to react. She reflexively shut her eyes as the scene played out.

He turned just as the chimera was upon him and screamed as it bit into his arm.

 _'Please be his right, please be his right'_ Hinata thought and opened her eyes. To her immense relief the chimera had bitten into boy's machine arm. It chewed uselessly at the metal, tearing up the sleeve of Ed's jacket.

"What's wrong you poor bastard? Can't you get a good taste?" Ed said and yanked his arm out of the creature's teeth before kicking it with his left leg. It fell to the floor below Cornello and Rose.

"It's impossible; your leg, your arm – no human could have survived those injuries!" Comprehension then dawned on the older man and he spoke his realization out loud, "Your limbs . . . they must be fake!"

"Brilliant deduction," Ed said sarcastically and started to rip his jacket off, revealing the remains of the black vest he wore and his machine right arm.

"Oh God." Rose whispered.

"Don't look away Rose, you need to see what happens when you try to bring a human back to life, when you cross over into God's territory or whatever the hell it is!" With that he tore off the red jacket completely revealing his fake limb.

By this time Al had dug himself out of the sand and stood quietly by his brother. Hinata, meanwhile, lingered behind them.

"His arm and leg are machines." Rose said, shocked.

Cornello gleefully said out loud what Hinata had already figured out. Ed and Al had performed Human Transmutation and suffered the loss of their limbs and entire body respectively.

"I told you Rose, get too close to the sun and you burn." Ed said coldly.

"Maybe so but you were insane enough to find out for yourself!" Cornello shouted, "You are full metal, the Fullmetal Alchemist!"

He chuckled and added that it made sense to him now why the military gave Edward such a "stern name" when he first joined it.

He then explained to Rose that similar to how it was illegal for alchemist to transmute lead into gold, transmutation on human souls were considered to be the greatest taboo.

"You miserable little boys, dabbling in human alchemy without knowing the penalty. YOU STEPPED ON THE TOES OF GOD!" Cornello lectured smugly.

Hinata winced, to be lectured by someone like Cornello who didn't care about the people he got killed . . . and being unable to say anything back in defense . . . It must have hurt.

"You don't know the story!" Al said, sounding desperate to have his and his brother's situation understood.

"Al." Ed said quietly.

"But . . . we just, we just wanted to see Mom's face again. We wanted to see her smile . . ." Al said miserably.

Hinata flashed back to the talk she had with Al and raised one hand to hold onto her gem, now understanding Al's reaction to her words about her own mother. She sympathized so much with what they had to have felt after their mother died that Hinata had to hold back tears.

"But you failed, didn't you?" Cornello mocked, empty of such sympathy.

"Yep, I'd call that a failure," Ed said, his voice hollow. "I lost my arm and leg while Al lost his entire body. I ignored all the warnings because I was desperate and wanted it badly. Rose, this is what happens would you try to bring back the dead."

He raised his machine arm and Rose flinched away, however Cornello put a hand on her shoulder and she looked up at him in surprise.

"Don't worry Rose, you forget that the sun god Leto has blessed me with the Philosopher's Stone. I also have much more experience than these heretic boys did." He said.

"Don't be a fool! No matter how powerful you are some things are just impossible!" Ed shouted.

"Oh really, then why do you want the stone so much? You want to bypass the laws of Equivalent Exchange too and bring your mommy back!" Cornello sneered.

"Wrong holy bastard, we just want to get out bodies back to normal!" Ed shouted and then smirked, holding onto his mechanical arm he added, "You see, we don't lie about what's possible, we didn't start a cult."

"We will ask once more, please give us the stone." Al said, holding out his hand.

Cornello's only answer was "You are doomed, may the wrath of god fall upon you."

Ed shouted at him to stop hiding behind his preaching.

Hinata bit her lip and finally decided to speak. Up until now she had hung back, wanting to know the Elric's motives and such. Now that she knew, and the conversation had once again lulled this moment may be her only chance.

"Cornello!" She shouted, gaining his attention.

He raised an eyebrow when he saw her, "You're still here?"

Ignoring the urge to go back into the shadows Hinata said, "I also came to Lior with a reason involving the Philosopher's Stone."

That got everyone's attention. Hinata noted that Ed's body language had tensed up; he likely saw her as another potential competitor for the stone. She quickly continued to speak, wanting to get that thought out of Ed's head. Hinata did not want the Elric Brothers as enemies.

"I want to know how you got that stone!" She said, privately relieved that there was no stutter in her voice, "Did you create it yourself, or did someone give it to you?"

"What?" She heard Al say.

"Why would you be interested in that? Do you want to know the secrets behind the creation of the Philosopher's Stone?" Cornello asked.

Hinata shook her head.

"I'm looking for someone associated with it, and the only way I'll find them is by tracking down the stone." The young Hyuga corrected him.

"I see, unfortunately for you I have no intention of answering that." The prophet said.

The gears in Hinata's head clicked together as she took note of Cornello's body language. He expression was unchanged but his movements told her he was nervous . . .

And scared.

"Someone gave it to you, and you're scared of what they'll do to you if you let it slip that your stone came from them." Hinata guessed.

Cornello gritted his teeth, he was not a happy man.

"You are all infuriating children." He said as a forced smile appeared on his face. There was a large glow behind him and Rose's eyes widened, she stepped back from the prophet.

The trio tensed.

"DIE SINNERS!" He shouted, looking more than a little crazed and pulling out a strange machine that was foreign to Hinata.

He started to fire.

Before she could react Al dove in front of Hinata and she squeaked with surprise when he lifted her up into his arms. Beside them Ed transmuted a wall to protect himself. Hinata covered her ears, the noise deafening as Al protected her, using his back as a shield.

When the noise finally stopped Hinata cautiously uncovered her ears and looked up. Whatever it was that Cornello had used it had left holes in the wall Ed had transmuted.

She gaped, what on earth . . . ?

"Close call." Ed said, looking really sheepish.

Then the doors they entered through were slammed fully opened and Hinata saw the man Cray, now with a notable bruise on his forehead, accompanied by a dozen other men.

"You." Cray said, and used something similar, but much smaller, to what Cornello had and attacked Al.

The boy turned away and Hinata tried to make herself smaller as that same loud "bang" from earlier came again and again.

There were sparks as something hit Al's armor with tremendous force several times.

Ed started running to the wall to their right and shouted for his brother to follow him. Al did so, still carrying Hinata who tried to grasp what had just transpired in the last thirty seconds.

"You're running into a dead end you fools!" Cornello called after them.

"Like I say, if you can't find a door . . ." Here Ed clapped his hands when he reached the wall and transmuted a door.

"MAKE YOUR OWN!" Ed shouted and shoved the doors open.

"W-what?" Cornello gasped, dumbfounded.

As they ran down the corridor the doors had opened up to Hinata decided to say something.

"T-thank you for protecting me Alphonse."

"Huh? Oh, you don't have to thank me. I did it because I wanted to." Al said, looking at her.

"Looks like we're in jam, again." Ed sighed. "We're going to need a plan, and,

He looked at Hinata.

"I think we need to talk."

The young Hyuga took a moment to consider, hesitating slightly, but ultimately nodded. Chances were they had come across information in their travels that could help her in her own search.

* * *

 **Hope you liked it!**

 **Sign**

 _ **Snowlily246**_


	4. Destroying the Lie

**Hope you like this chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Fullmetal Alchemist series or its characters, nor do I own the Naruto series or its characters. This story is simply written out of a love for writing.**

* * *

Chapter 4

The three of them ended up hiding near a statue of Leto, Ed and Hinata sat at its feet while Al stood in front of them.

"I don't get why they're saying we're evil. If we wanted the stone we would have just taken it by force." Al said.

"You're challenging their way of life," Hinata said quietly. "T-these people were going through hard times when Cornello came and h-he made everything better. You're efforts to take the stone are threatening the happiness they found in the new lives he gave them. I doubt they want to g-go back to how things use to be."

"When you put it that way it does make a lot of sense." Al admitted.

"So, I think you should start talking. For starters . . . just where the hell are you from?" Ed demanded. There was no malice in his voice but his tone made it clear that he wanted answers.

"H-huh?" Hinata stammered.

"I went over to where Rose found you, there was a transmutation circle burned into the sand." Ed said bluntly. "Even when it should have been buried after the winds here tossing new sand over it the thing just burned right through the new layer of sand."

Hinata looked down and pushed her index fingers together, what else could she tell them but the truth after Ed's discovery?

"Hinata, were you lying when you told me about where you're from?" Al asked. He didn't sound upset per say, just disappointed.

"N-not exactly." Hinata said, she looked around and seeing that the streets were empty and that there were no lights on in the nearby houses she decided to take a gamble.

"I don't know how to describe it in a way that won't sound insane." She admitted. "B-but I'll try."

Ed and Al looked at her expectantly.

"I'm not from Amestris, I'm not even from this world. I c-came from a different one because of the mission my mother left me. Y-you see Mother was born and raised in Amestris. I don't know the details yet but she was . . . special, and not like other people.

"How can you not know the details?" Ed asked, saving his skepticism about the "other world" for the after she had finished.

"M-mama died when I was four, she never had the chance to tell me." Hinata explained. "And the letter she left me was vague because she couldn't risk someone else finding the i-information. But s-she mentioned that I would find the answers as I w-went through the mission."

"I see." Ed said.

"Is there any way you can prove you came from another world besides that Transmutation circle Brother found?" Al asked.

Hinata looked down into her lap.

"I-I'm not sure, I just used t-that same transmutation circle in m-my world to get here. I-I remember seeing this e-endless white expanse after the circle activated, a-and then this p-pair of double doors. It opened up f-for me like a G-gate . . ."

She heard Ed's sharp intake of breath and looked up.

The young alchemist's parlor had gone white and his eyes were wide with shock as he looked at her.

"Are you saying you came from the other side of the Gate?" He asked.

A bit frightened by the look on his face Hinata nodded quickly.

"Brother," Al whispered, his voice was one of fear and awe. Apparently this Gate was something very important, and scary, to the brothers.

"W-what is so scary about the G-gate?" Hinata asked after mustering up some courage.

The brothers looked at each other and something unspoken passed between them, Al turned his attention to the young Hyuga.

"When we tried to transmute our mom we were pulled into that same place." He said quietly. "It was where Brother lost his limbs, and where I lost my entire body."

"Oh," Hinata said. What else could she say?

"After we get out of this mess we can talk more." Ed decided, and Hinata was relieved to see that the color had returned to his face and the frightening emotion in his eyes had left.

Al nodded. "Right, that's for the best, but what do we do?"

"I-I really don't want to r-ruin the townspeople's happiness," Hinata confided, "B-but all of this will probably be bad for Lior in the long term."

Al nodded in agreement and Ed scratched his head.

"Alright then, so we expose Cornello."

As if those words had been a signal the loud speakers around town came to life and a voice Hinata recognized as belonging to the man named Cray emitted from them.

"Attention, people of Lior, earlier today a pair of unbelievers tried to take the life of our prophet Cornello. One is blond and short, the other is in a suit of armor and they have taken a hostage. A young girl with dark hair, pale skin and white eyes. Father Cornello is concerned for your safety and asks that you stay indoors for your own protection, he urges you to take every precaution."

Hinata groaned, and then frowned.

"Why d-did they say I was a hostage?" She asked.

Al shrugged his shoulders as the bustle of activity the townspeople were making started to become audible. They wouldn't have much time before they were discovered.

"He must know about that transmutation circle that brought you here." Ed said, "The designs in it are similar to the ones by alchemist who dabble with teleportation alchemy. Any alchemist would recognize the runes."

"Cornello probably wants to get information from you." Al confirmed.

"So w-what do we do?" Hinata asked.

Ed looked to be deep in thought . . . and then an absolutely wicked grin appeared on his face.

 **xxx**

When they were finally found Hinata stood next to the fake Al, who Ed had transmuted to have a hand out stretched. This way, it would like it was holding onto Hinata's shoulder and therefore preventing her escape.

At least that was how the citizens would interpret it.

"It's them alright," A man at the head of the mob said. "The short newcomer and his tin man."

Hinata winced as Ed's temper snapped at the mention of the word he oh so hated.

Unsurprisingly Ed got into the man's face and shouted, "WHO ARE YOU CALLING A MOUSEY LITTLE PIPSQUEAK?"

"Nobody said that so back off!" The man snapped back, then he added that there were "more important things they needed to settle".

The people of Lior demanded to know why Ed would attack Cornello, with one woman even accusing Ed of "making them believe he was good".

Sighing Ed said, "Look lady, I never asked you to believe in anything, that's your priest. He's a phony, he's just using alchemy!"

"Liar!"

The crowd parted to reveal Rose, who looked to Hinata like she had run all the way here.

"Just now, my boyfriend spoke to me, Cornello is bringing him back." Rose said.

The people immediately started to congratulate Rose on the return of her boyfriend and Hinata learned that his name had been Cain. She frowned, there was nothing that could truly bring the dead back to life – at least if you were human.

"Had anyone seen these people up close? I heard they all left town as soon as they were brought back!" Ed demanded, frustrated.

Before anyone could answer him that sound of very big and heavy footsteps drew everyone's attention.

It was the sun god Leto statues, several of them were marching in a straight line for the trio. This only made things worse for Ed as it was proof for the townspeople that Cornello was what he claimed to be.

Soon they were surrounded.

The first statue swung his staff and Hinata squeaked when the fake Al was pushed away from her, as the girl stumbled back Ed was hit in the back of the head. Meanwhile the other statues converged on Al's lookalike, pounding it repeatedly.

The girl turned her attention to Edward and fell to her knees at his side, she put a hand to his head and a felt a small bump through his hair.

"Hinata,"

Hinata looked up at the mention of her name and saw Rose standing before her, the rest of the people were staring as the statues pound the fake Al into scrap metal.

"Father Cornello wants you to return to the temple, he has things he wants to talk to you about." Rose said.

"He won't be harmed?" Hinata asked, not moving.

"Not yet," Cray said, coming up from behind Rose.

 **XXX**

Hinata paced around the room, which was the same one she been given when she first arrived. It had been a few hours since her and Ed's capture and Cornello had yet to come and "speak with her".

Daylight was breaking through the window, perhaps Cornello had decided to sleep and deal with Ed before he spoke with her.

The thought did nothing to light up her anxiousness.

Her thoughts were broken by the sound of metal banging against the wall outside her room. Hinata ran to the window and opened it, when she leaned out the Hyuga saw Al balanced on the ledge underneath her window.

Hinata's smile was one of relief.

"Come on." Al said, and Hinata grabbed her bag before jumping from the window and landing on the ledge beside Al without a scratch.

"How can you do that?" Al asked as they made their way to the large balcony that was located near the top of the temple.

"D-do what?" Hinata asked.

"You jumped onto the ledge like it was nothing even though most people would have had some trouble, and I saw how you helped Brother. You threw something into the bird's neck."

"It's called a kunai, it's a b-black dagger that can be thrown and such for c-combat." Hinata explained.

"Combat?" Al asked.

Hinata looked up and at the sky and decided to be honest.

"I-I was a ninja back where I'm from, I just graduated from the Academy last year. T-technically speaking I'm still a bit of a greenhorn." She explained.

"A ninja?"

Hinata could have sworn that the lights that were Al's "eyes" had just lit up brighter. Feeling self-conscious she fought the urge to blush.

"What's it-?"

A scream interrupted his question.

"Rose!" Hinata gasped, the two were directly underneath another window with flowing white curtains.

Al wasted no time and jumped, grabbing onto the ledge he hoisted himself inside. By the time Hinata had followed suit he had already taken care of a bird like creature that had almost killed Rose.

The poor girl was clearly terrified and shaken, she looked at Al and Hinata like they were ghost.

Al looked at the creature, sprawled on the floor after his punch, as it choked on its own saliva.

"I don't need to tell you it's not safe here," He said and offered Rose his hand, "Come on, we have to go."

Rose took a step back, looked at the creature on the floor, then Al and finally to Hinata. Their eyes met and the younger girl smiled encouragingly. Rose looked at the hand Al still had outstretched and, with a trembling hand, grasped it with her own.

 **xxx**

Al had already brought the town bell to the balcony and once they arrived he immediately got to work converting it to fit the plan Ed had laid out. As he worked he and Rose talked, Hinata simply observed Al work, paying attention to the details.

It's our founding principal Rose." Al was saying. "To obtain something, something of equal value has to be lost. Everyone says Ed is a prodigy but he just paid with enough effort."

"But the statues . . . how?" Rose asked.

"That's easy, Ed took care of it." Al replied easily as he transmuted an activation switch for the bell-speaker.

"You two have really paid a heavy price, haven't you? A body, an arm and leg, yet here you are trying to get it all back." Rose said, she paused and Hinata could tell she was trying to figure out how to say what she wanted to say.

"W-what about your mom? What happened to her?" Rose finally asked.

Hinata closed her eyes, it was painfully clear to her that Rose still had a tiny shred of hope that Cain could be revived.

Al stood up abruptly.

"I should get started, it's about time." He said quietly and pressed the switch.

The bell-speaker let out a loud sound before Ed's voice came out, clear and completely recognizable.

"Is it the money you're after?" Ed asked.

"Edward?" Rose said, not understanding, then Cornello spoke.

"Oh no, I can get all the money I want from the offerings. You're thinking too small Edward, I'm creating an army of believers who wouldn't hesitate to die in my name. And why wouldn't they? All of them believe that I can bring them back from the dead." Cornello's voice said smugly.

"Just wait, in a few short years I'll have the people I need to tear this country apart and rebuild it in my image! Ha, ha, ha!"

"Makes no difference to me." Ed said indifferently.

"What?" Cornello demanded.

"You can't really bring the dead back to life, once you kill me I'm gone for good, right?" Ed said.

"Sadly, yes. I wouldn't dare try human alchemy, even with the Philosopher's Stone. I'd only end up like you. In any case why would a king risk his life to save mindless pawns?" The charlatan said.

Then was a pause.

"Wait a moment . . ." Cornello said.

 _'He must finally be catching on.'_ Hinata thought.

"WHAT?! H-HOW LONG HAS THAT BEEN ON?!" Cornello screamed.

"Long enough for the "mindless pawn tearing this country apart" comment I think." Ed said cheekily.

"How did you get my broadcasting equipment?!"

"Al ridged it up, I know, you smashed him apart. But that was just some metal I fixed up to look like him! Clever huh?" Ed explained cheerfully.

From where Hinata was she could see all the people in the plaza frozen, their faces identical masks of open mouthed shock. Everywhere else the conversation had been broadcast through the speakers so everyone in Lior knew the truth.

"No my children, he lies!" Cornello shouted, then there was that banging sound again.

Al had called it "gunfire" and the machine that created it a "machine gun".

There was the sound of a transmutation and steel being cut apart.

"By the way, I don't get my skills from a pocket watch." Ed said, serious again.

Al turned to the girls.

"Let's go."

 **xxx**

They watched from the edge of the plaza as Ed confronted Cornello. The charlatan had just tried to use the stone to get his confused and angry flock of followers back under control by performing "miracles".

In other words, he used alchemy to move all the Leto god statues in the plaza, making it appear as if they were walking.

But Ed wasn't having any of that and countered by using his alchemy to move the Leto god statue that was five times the size of the ones Cornello had moved. It had been inside the temple and broke the roof as it rose to its feet.

Then Ed had it punch the ground near the faux priest, scaring him witless.

"Rings and watches have nothing to do with it, my brother is the Fullmetal Alchemist." Al said proudly.

Cornello made one last desperate attempt to flee but was thwarted when the stone suddenly glowed and disfigured his arm with machinery.

"It's recoiling!" Al gasped.

"What does that mean?" Hinata asked.

Al sighed and Hinata understood; the stone had been a fake.

"STOP JERKING ME AROUND!" Ed shouted to the sky from where he was at the steps of the ruined temple.

"I guess that means I need to look somewhere else too." Hinata sighed. Oh well, she had known this mission would not be easy. Then she realized that Rose was gone and looked around, but the girl was nowhere in sight.

"Let her go, she needs to make up her mind about what she'll do now." Al said, having noticed too.

"I suppose you're right." Hinata said regretfully.

Would it be this complicated and complex everywhere she searched?

* * *

 **Hope you liked the chapter!**

 **Sign**

 _ **Snowlily246**_


	5. The Next Move

**Thank you all for your reviews!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Fullmetal Alchemist series or the Naruto series, nor each series' respective characters.**

 **And to Guest's questions-**

 **\- I chose Hinata because she's my favorite character in the Naruto series and I enjoy writing her character.**

 **-Hinata recognized Cornello because she had gone to the Miracle Gathering, remember when she used her Byakugan on the brothers?**

 **-This first installment of the Gatekeeper Saga takes place in the 2003 anime.**

 **-Also . . . I am pairing Hinata off with Alphonse.**

* * *

Chapter 5

The three settled on a bridge not that far from the ruined temple where the people of Lior were struggling to decide what to do now that Cornello's true motives had been revealed.

"Just another wild goose chase." Ed sighed, he looked to Al who was sitting next to him on his right and added. "I really thought that we were finally going to get you in the flesh again."

"No Brother, when we do find the stone we'll fix you up first. That auto-mail is so hard on you."

On Al's other side Hinata smiled softly, these boys reminded her a lot of Naruto. Despite all the trials and setbacks they weren't giving up, they were going to keep searching and keep moving forward.

"Hinata,"

"Huh?" Pulled out of her thoughts she looked up and saw was Al looking at her, "Y-yes?"

"I was thinking, if you're looking for information about the stone you can come with us. At least until we reach East City."

"Really?" Hinata asked, surprised.

"Why not?" Ed said, shrugging his shoulders. "You know the truth about our bodies so there's nothing to hide and we'll probably keep running into you anyway. Might as well stick together for a while."

"T-thank you very much!" Hinata said, smiling brightly. "I-I don't know anyone h-here and I'm unfamiliar with Amestris. It'd be nice t-to have people to talk to and ask questions."

"It isn't a problem, but can you tell us who you're looking for exactly?" Al asked.

Hinata sighed.

"I'm not even sure, Mother didn't include much information in the letter because the consequences could be h-horrific if it feel into the wrong hands. And my mother never found how who that person was exactly. She was looking for them because they had something to do with her parents' deaths. Just when she was getting close something happened and she got sucked into my f-father's world. Mother was injured in such a way she couldn't risk trying to get back, and in the time she had to wait to heal . . ."

Hinata trailed off but Ed put two and two together.

"You came along?" He guessed.

She nodded.

"Why send you back here then?" Al inquired. "If she gave up the search . . ."

Hinata shook her head.

"I-I don't really belong back there, the clan knew of Mother's origins and so I was always being kept at a-arm's length. I-I was never really . . ."

Once again Hinata trailed off and the brothers decided to drop the topic upon seeing how her face fell.

"I get it." Ed said.

Understanding what he was doing Hinata smiled and nodded.

"Well, all we do now is start searching again." The older Elric added.

He and Al started to get up and Hinata quickly followed suit when a voice stopped them.

"You should never have come here."

Hinata turned and her eyes widened, it was Rose. The girl however, was speaking directly to Ed.

"Father Cornello gave us hope, what right do you have to take it from us?" Rose added bitterly. "With him we believed we could so anything, we revived the death – we're a desert village, we had nothing before he came!"

Ed regarded her stoically.

"So you're saying we should have just let everything continue?" He asked.

"Why not?" Rose asked. "What do I have to live for now that I know Cain is never coming back?! You tell me that Ed!"

The blond teen turned his back on her and said. "I can't answer that for you, that's for you to decide. Use your own power, move forward. You've got two good, strong legs Rose; get up and use them."

Rose's eyes widened. Of everything she had thought Ed might say this was not it. He started walking away and Rose fell to her knees.

Al kneeled down beside the girl and said. "Brother is trying to help you, he just doesn't always handle things well."

Rose turned her face away. "Just go away."

Hinata timidly approached them as Al told Rose that she could still have faith and hope; he still did.

"Rose," Hinata said softly.

The girl looked up.

"What?" She asked tiredly. "Are you going to give me advice too now?"

"I lost my mother too, when I was very young. And ever since then my father and I g-grew distance from each other. He was – is cold to me. Sometimes, sometimes I wonder if he even loves me." Hinata confessed.

Rose looked a little surprised and Hinata continued.

"I started to wonder why I was alive if my own father didn't love me anymore. What was I good for? It helped when my half-sister was born, she gave me a reason to live. Still, still I wonder . . .

Hinata took a breath and added.

"W-what I'm trying to say is that I know what it's like to feel everything has been ripped out f-from under you and that you have nothing left. It hurts and feels unfair, but Rose, t-this world isn't perfect, it's n-not even kind but it's all we got and we have to learn how to live with its shortcomings. That's why, despite everything it throws at you, endure. Accept the bad w-with the good and find s-something in the mess t-that's worth living for."

Hinata's white eyes softened.

"T-that's all I w-wanted to say."

She ducked her head, got to her feet and quickly walked after Edward. She wasn't entirely sure why she had basically told a stranger part of her life story. Hinata hadn't even told Kiba and Shino any of this, but it was the only thing she could think of that might help Rose. The girl had been kind to her and helped her, Hinata wanted to help her back.

Al spoke to Rose a little longer before meeting up with Ed and Hinata at the exit out of Lior. The trio then started their long trek across the desert.

 **XXX**

After a few days walk the group boarded a train and headed to East City, it was a military command base for that area and was where Ed, as a State Alchemist, had to report to his superior Roy Mustang, a Colonel and the famous Flame Alchemist.

They passed the train ride by playing cards and talking. The boys were intensely curious about Hinata's world and she about theirs, resulting in long talks involving explanations and metaphors.

By the time Ed decided to make a detour from East City and stop at Aquroya, a tourist hotspot, Hinata knew a bit about the military, the State Alchemist program, and some of Amestris' history. The Elric brothers in turn learned about the Leaf Village and its background, as well as some of Hinata's ninja skills, though they had yet to see her in action.

"You're sure it's okay to stop? We're supposed to head straight to East City." Al asked at the station. The train had just pulled out of the station, leaving them behind. Ed munched on his food calmly, unconcerned.

"It's on the way, and besides we might find something about the Stone here. I'd rather avoid the lecture Mustang has in store. Besides Aquroya is a tourist hotspot, I've always wanted to see it." Ed responded.

Hinata stood by quietly, looking around as the brothers talked.

"It kind of feels like we're playing hooky, don't you think?" Al said.

Ed's eye twitched and he turned on his brother.

"Don't be such a –"

His words died on his lips when playing cards fell out of his sleeves.

"Edward!" Hinata gasped. He had cheated in his and Al's card game?

"Now what is this?" Al said, his voice triumph in having caught Ed cheating. "This is an oddly good hand of cards."

"Uh, Alphonse . . ." Hinata said. He looked up and saw Ed running away, into the entrance of Aquroya.

"Get back here, I want everything you won from me! I can't believe I just thought I was unlucky!" Al shouted after him. He ran, hot on his brother's trail, with Hinata on his heels.

 **xxx**

Hinata's face lit up as she took in the wondrous sights of the city, it was surrounded by water and where roads would be there was more water that small boats could be used to travel in.

Al commented on its beauty and Ed agreed, saying that it beat "that East City dust ball and Mustang's know it all grin, right?"

"You don't like Mustang?" Hinata asked, frowning slightly.

"You can bet all the money you have on you that I don't!" Ed replied. "He's a smug arrogant bastard."

"I think it's just because you guys are alike in a lot of ways." Al interjected.

"Don't compare me to hi-"

Ed was cut off by a cart that rolled past them, slashing mud all over him, Hinata was lucky enough to have been slightly behind Al and escaped untouched.

"What the hell is your problem pal?!" He shouted angrily after the driver.

"It is the city of water." Al said cheekily. Hinata smiled beneath the hand she had over her mouth.

A grumpy Ed clapped his hands and transmuted the mud off of him . . .

Only to have his right wrist handcuffed when he had barely finished.

Hinata blinked.

Ed looked up at the detective that had handcuffed him, a man with messy brown hair and chin spotted with stubble. He was decked in a typical detective outfit.

"Shouldn't we talk first?" Ed asked.

"Be quiet. We need to have a talk, alchemist." The detective said, smiling coolly.

 **xxx**

After a lengthy interrogation that lasted for three hours the trio were finally released and allowed to leave the police station.

Ed complained loudly about the man's interrogation methods, very angry that his time had been wasted.

"But Brother, doesn't it bother you? An alchemist using alchemy to steal?" Al asked, not noticing the change in Ed's expression or that he had stopped walking. But Hinata did.

"Ed, are you alright?" She asked, concerned and kneeled down in front of him.

"Brother, what's wrong?" Al asked.

"My stomach, it hurts . . ." Ed groaned, then froze when he let out some gas. Hinata's cheeks turned red and Al tried to suppress his laughter.

"Sorry." Ed said miserably.

"Let's go find a hospital." Al suggested.

The visit to the hospital was . . . interesting. The doctor that had seen to Ed said that the young alchemist had gotten food poisoning and needed a shot.

Ed immediately tried to escape but Al wasn't having that, he grabbed Edward before he could get pass the curtain.

"Don't be a baby!" Al chided his brother and turned to Hinata who watched with wide eyes. "Hinata, help me get his coat off."

Hearing this Ed squirmed more.

"I hate you Al you're evil! How could you sell out your own brother?!" He cried out.

"You don't mean that!" Al said in a hurt voice. Hinata frowned at Ed who refused to look at her. There was something about that disapproving frown that reminded him of being a little boy and getting caught red handed doing something bad by his mother.

Eventually they wrestled him out of his coat and the nurse, Clara, a pretty woman with short strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes gave him the shot. She had distracted him by putting a finger over his mouth, making him self-conscious and allowing her to inject him without the boy even noticing.

After that little bit of drama the three sat on a bench outside in the hospital courtyard. Clara happened to be a short distance from them, tending to an elderly patient in a wheelchair.

"That nurse, Clara, she was good at her job, and smart, and gorgeous too. I can't stop thinking about her." Al commented.

"You've got a weird taste in women. She's a bad gift in pretty wrapping." Ed said, still sour about how Clara had tricked him.

"I think she's nice." Hinata said, adding her opinion.

"Not you too!" Ed groaned. Then he noticed Al staring at Clara and tapped him, snapping the boy back to reality.

"You with us Al?" Ed asked.

"Uh? Oh yeah, I am. Hey Brother, there's something about her, so kind and giving. She kind of reminds me of Mom." Al admitted.

"What? Don't be ridiculous, that lady is nothing like her!" Ed retorted and Hinata noted the defensive note to his voice.

The sound of a plate clattering to the ground stopped whatever argument that might have been about to begin. The elderly woman had dropped the plate of skinned apple slices Clara had handed her.

Before they realized it Al had gotten up and was walking toward them. Ed sighed and followed which prompted Hinata to join them.

"I'm sorry, I've gotten so clumsy." The woman apologized feebly.

Clara smiled reassuringly.

"Don't worry about it, it's just some fruit." She said and started to move toward the fallen apple slices, intending to clean up the mess, but another hand beat her to it. Hinata watched Al draw a transmutation circle around the apple pieces and transmuted them back into a whole apple.

Al picked up the apple and offered it to Clara.

"Good as new." He said.

However Clara did not immediately accept it, staring at Al with an unidentifiable emotion in her eyes.

"You're an alchemist, I didn't realize that earlier." She said.

Hinata was puzzled, Clara seemed almost . . . wary of Alphonse. Did she have something against alchemist?

"Mr. Elric! Mr. Elric!" A familiar voice called out Hinata turned and saw the detective from before running toward them.

"How about this? I can make a recording saying I'm innocent so you can play it over and over as much as you need to." Ed growled as the man stopped in from of him and leaned on his knees, panting.

"No, no I know you're innocent. I actually want a favor." He said in between pants.

 **xxx**

Hinata sat uncomfortably on Ed's right. She and her new friends had been brought back to the police station and seated in front of a very long table covered in bowls of food. Ed sat at the head, and was currently stuffing his face with the first bowl of food that was in front of him. Al sat on Ed's left and Hinata had a feeling he was not only uncomfortable but also exasperated to a certain extent. She looked at the bowl of the food that was in front of her, it did smell good.

"Officers, presenting State Alchemist Master Edward Elric with a salute!" The detective said.

The row of police officers on either side of the long table responded by saluting in perfect unison.

Suddenly Hinata felt too self-conscious to eat.

"Jeez." She heard Al said quietly, under his breath. Yep, he was definitely exasperated.

"So, what do you want?" Ed asked, not pausing in his eating. The detective immediately started to talk in a way that would have prompted Kiba to call him a suck up.

The first thing he did was apologize for the long and mind numbing interrogation, then he revealed that he had called Ed's superior Mustang. He described the man as "angry but nice" and that Mustang had confirmed Ed's position as a State Alchemist.

Now that the detective had proof that Edward was who he said he was he wanted Ed's help in catching the alchemist thief he had mentioned in the interrogation; Psiren.

Hinata took another look around the room and had a feeling this was going to be a messy and complicated job.

Go figure.

* * *

 **Hope you all liked this chapter!**

 **Sign**

 _ **Snowlily246**_


	6. The Thief

**Hope you all like this!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto series or the Fullmetal Alchemist series nor the characters in this story that belong to their respective anime. Also I gave the detective a name for convenience, I don't own him.  
**

* * *

Chapter 6

The job turned out to be pretty much as Hinata had feared it would be; messy and complicated. At first the boys had told her she didn't have to help but Hinata insisted, she wanted to pull her weight and she wanted to be useful to her new friends.

Later that same day the detective, Luke James, brought them to a high profile museum where Psiren had actually told every newspaper in the country she would be stealing a golden jewel encrusted armband.

Hinata looked out the window, watching the news reporters, Psiren "groupies" and tourist gathered outside the building and being kept well back by the police. For the mission Hinata had changed into an all-black version of what she usually wore. It had slightly surprised the brothers but she explained that it was for camouflage should they have to chase Psiren outside. It was already dark out and judging by the thief's track record Hinata figured she would at least make it outside.

Luke left to check out the security station, leaving the Elrics and Hinata with the armband and other police officers.

"I have to admit it, I'm kind of surprised you took this job." Al said, looking at Ed.

"Guess I'm just curious." The older Elric said. Hinata looked at him inquisitively and he clarified what he meant by adding. "Yet another way to use alchemy to do wrong."

Hinata frowned slightly but said nothing, not wanting Ed to get the wrong idea. While the Hyuga knew that Psiren was most likely just out for personal gain there was also a possibility that she had become a thief out of necessity. Hinata disliked judging people because of what she saw Naruto endure every day for something that wasn't his fault. The girl sighed internally before once again turning her attention to the armband and keeping her guard up for when the Psiren arrived.

They did not have to wait long for her to show herself.

Everyone was surrounding the armband, leaning against the walls and remaining vigilant when Hinata noticed a drop of water falling to the floor . . .

Right before it exploded and engulfed the room in a thick steam, blocking everyone's view.

Hinata was about to activate her Byakugan when the steam suddenly cleared and she saw its creator.

It was a woman wearing a white mask that covered the top half of her face. A black cap with bunny ear shaped protrusions was pulled over her head but her strawberry blonde hair was long enough to easily be seen. Psiren's outfit was also entirely black and resembled a body suit expect it didn't cover her entire body. Where her right shoulder was the black fabric had been torn off but there was some white material still underneath, and her right thigh was left exposed. The left side of her body was covered except for her bare shoulder.

"Come on guys!" Ed shouted, running at the thief when something whizzed pass him. Hinata squeaked, Alphonse had been pinned to the while by playing cards that were as sharp as any kunai.

Psiren smiled as she took out the armband using the circular hole she had cut into its protective glass, then she ran for it.

Ed ran after her but Hinata hesitated to follow, looking at Alphonse.

"I'll be fine!" The boy said, seeing her look at him. "Go help Brother!"

Hinata straightened, nodded and after Ed.

The thief had made it outside just like Hinata had predicted and the Hyuga jumped onto the roof before running along the bridge like structure created because of the columns underneath.

She reached them just in time to see Ed being defeated.

Apparently the Fullmetal Alchemist had just tackled Psiren to the ground, pinning her to the floor.

"I've got you pinned!" Ed panted. Then he realized that he had accidentally grabbed Psiren's breast. The poor boy was off the thief before Hinata could blink.

"I-I didn't mean that!" He shouted.

Psiren smiled coyly.

"You've never fought a woman, have you kid? It makes for a whole new kind of fighting." She said and unzipped her shirt to partly reveal her chest . . .

And the transmutation circle that was tattooed on it above her breasts.

Hinata's eyes widened when Ed was thrown back, pinned to the floor by playing cards Psiren had kept tucked inside her shirt.

"THAT WAS A DIRTY TRICK!" Ed shouted, flustered.

"It's too bad I can't show you my face, that's a real treat." Psiren said, blowing Edward a kiss, she jogged away calling over her shoulder, "See you later Pipsqueak!"

"Who are you calling a pipsqueak?!" Ed demanded as Hinata ran up to him. "I'd be tall in heels too!"

Then he noticed Hinata.

"Hurry, go after her!" He shouted.

She hesitated for a moment, then nodded and continued the chase.

Psiren did not have a big lead on Hinata so the girl soon had her back in sights, and the thief became aware she had another pursuer.

"Oh, so now you want to try?" Psiren asked, stopping. She held the armband in one hand, admiring her steal.

Hinata did not bother to answer and charged the thief.

Psiren unzipped her shirt again and Hinata ducked, feeling the wisp of air as the razor sharp cards sailed over her head.

"Byakugan!" Hinata whispered, feeling the veins and arteries on her temples bulge. Psiren was taken aback by the blood limit and the ex-heiress used her shock to her advantage.

What Hinata's Byakugan showed her was incredibly different from what she was used to seeing when it was activated, and yet somehow very similar.

In her current sight the tattoo was still glowing and Hinata could see that the energy drawn for the transmutation was coming from partly from Psiren but largely from their surroundings. This was due in part to Psiren's will.

 _'Still . . . I can still use Gentle Fist.' H_ inata thought and landed two blows on the arm holding the armband before being forced to retreat.

"I barely felt anything, your hits could use some work –" Psiren was cut off when her arm suddenly went limp. The armband clattered to the ground, rolling until it came to a stop at Hinata's feet.

"W-what happened?" Psiren asked, her calm composure broken.

Hinata looked at her, about to explain, and gasped. She had been so focused on the flow of energy she had not truly noticed the face of the woman behind the mask.

"Clara?" She asked.

Psiren froze, clearly unnerved and the transmutation circle on her chest glowed.

Hinata quickly withdrew a kunai and deflected the cards flying at her, but when she turned her attention to the thief - Psiren or more accurately Clara – had vanished. Hinata looked around but the thief had gotten out of her range somehow.

Hinata's Byakugan deactivated and she looked at the armband in her hand and then back to where Psiren had been.

A messy and complicated job indeed.

 **XXX**

Hinata walked down the halls of the hospital, searching for Edward and Alphonse. By the time she had returned from her brief scuffle with Psiren Ed had already been freed by Alphonse who was accompanied by a dozen police officers. Due to the presence of the strangers she had not told the brothers about her discovery until they had gone back to the hotel they were staying at.

With the three gathered in the brothers' room Hinata recounted her experience.

"So you saw through the mask?" Ed asked for the second time after she was finished. There was a slight hint of skepticism in his voice.

Hinata nodded, not taking offence from Ed's doubts – her Byakugan was still something strange and probably unreal to the Elric Brothers.

It would take time for the two to fully understand her eyes and, in turn trust them, even after all the things they had seen in their search for the Philosopher's Stone.

Alphonse was also hesitate to believe Hinata but for more personal reasons – Clara's similar personality to his late mother, Trisha, made the boy reluctant to take his new friend on her word.

Ed sighed, and sat up in the couch he had been laying on.

"It's worth looking into, we'll stop by the hospital tomorrow." He said.

Hinata frowned and said. "But Clara might have left by now. She heard me say her name, she knows that I know."

"Still wouldn't hurt to look, even if she isn't there we might find some useful information from her co-workers." Ed countered.

It was a valid point and Hinata nodded in agreement, Alphonse stood silent, struggling with how to feel in this situation.

Now Hinata was looking for her friends; Al had suddenly run off into the hospital when they had arrived, claiming he needed to look into something. Ed had gone after him and Hinata had followed. With the hospital being rather large the end result had been the three being separated.

"Hinata was right, she's Psiren!" Ed voice echoed in the empty hall. Hinata blinked, stopping in her tracks upon hearing the State Alchemist's angry voice. The sound wasn't muffled so . . .

Sure enough there was an open door, a few yards up the hall. Hinata cautiously walked up to it as Clara's voice spilled from the opening.

"The world isn't black and white like you think, a lot can happen in a short amount of time. You two are too young to understand." Clara said, her voice was unwavering and unruffled by the anger and accusation that had been in Ed's.

Hinata reached the door and saw her friends facing Clara, aka Psiren, who had unbuttoned her shirt enough for the transmutation circle transmuted on her chest to be in full view.

"Oh please!" Ed sneered, unconvinced. However his brother claimed to understand, making Ed do a double take.

Before Al could explain himself Clara noticed Hinata in the doorway and tensed up. Catching up on her body language the Elrics turned and saw the young Hyuga shyly entering the room.

"How long have you been there?" Al asked.

"L-long enough." Hinata responded.

"It's you." Clara said, her eyes wary and distrustful. Hinata inwardly flinched, the look in Clara's eyes was very much like the ones the adults in the Leaf Village had given Naruto day after day.

 _'She's just scared, Clara doesn't understand my eyes.'_ Hinata thought, trying to lessen the sting she felt in her heart. Was this distrust going to be a constant thing in her life here? How had Naruto endured that all his life? She felt like she had been stabbed just by this one look.

 _'At least Rose wasn't like that, or the people in Lior. But that was probably because of Cornello and his "miracles". They were used to seeing unusual and abnormal things.'_ Hinata continued to think as the silence stretched on.

"What's with the look?" Ed asked, glaring at Clara who snapped her eyes back to him.

"What?" The nurse/thief asked.

"You're looking at her like she's some sort of freak show, I'd like to know why." Ed clarified. Hinata sensed a change in Al as well, he was not nearly as hostile as Ed but there was a . . . defensive air about him.

They were defending her.

"Her eyes, they changed when she confronted me. They aren't normal, she isn't normal. I don't understand how she could do that, how she could look through my mask." Clara said, turning her gaze back to Hinata though its effect was different. This time it felt like Clara's eyes were attempting to probe Hinata's mind for answers, as if her will could pull out all of the girl's secrets.

"I-it's called the Byakugan." Hinata finally said. "These e-eyes have been passed d-down my family for generations."

The curiosity in Clara's eyes grew brighter.

"I think that's enough information." Ed interjected.

"Brother." Al whispered but was ignored.

"She's a thief and a liar, who knows what she'd do with the information." The older Elric harshly, but admittedly, somewhat accurately accused.

"This hospital is going to be demolished!" Al blurted out. Hinata looked at him, wide eyed and Ed turned to his brother, stunned.

"What?" Edward asked.

"I just found out from the doctor that took care of you." Al explained. "The hospital is short on funding and can't keep up with its expenses. It's going to be demolished in a few days."

As Ed took in this new information Al turned to Clara. The woman looked at him with something resembling trepidation in her eyes.

"Clara, you became a thief out of necessity and compassion for the sake of the hospital, didn't you?" He asked, his voice gentle.

"That's right, do you think I enjoy this? Flinching at the sound of police sirens near the hospital, going home and afraid to open the door because I might find the police on the other side? But this hospital . . . it needs the money and it needs it badly. I just, I just want to help." Clara said, and shed a single tear.

Hinata saw the skepticism in Ed's face flatter, and felt her own hesitate doubt shake as well. Hinata wanted to believe Clara, she wanted to so badly, but everything she had been taught in the Academy and by her sensei about deceiving enemies refused to let her. There was still that hint of cautious doubt – the thought that Clara may just be a very good actor - planted in her mind.

"Elric! Elric!" The detective's voice called in the hall, he appeared at the door a moment later. It seemed the man had run all the way here, judging by his sweaty face and labored breathing.

"There's been another notice from Psiren, we know her next target!" He said, then he noticed Clara and her tattoo. Slowly, he asked Ed if he had interrupted something.

Ed said nothing for a moment, and then responded. "No, not at all."

 **xxx**

That night Hinata and her friends watched the luxuriously decorated house that was Psiren's next target from their hiding place in the bushes across the street. The detective was with them, crouched next to Ed.

This time Psiren was trying to steal a sliver pocket watch with a ruby inlaid in the center of the cover.

Luke explained that he had laid a trap for Psiren instead of directly guarding the item this time around, then he left, telling Ed to stick around in case something went wrong.

"Brother, what are you going to do?" Al asked quietly.

Hinata stayed quiet and watched Ed as he struggled to make the decision. Then, the Fullmetal Alchemist sighed and turned to them.

"I want you two to stay here." He stressed. "I need to do this by myself."

He got to his feet and Al did as well.

"Brother, what are you going to do?" He asked.

"The right thing." Ed sighed and without another word left their hiding spot and walked across the street to the building.

Al watched his brother leave but did not go after him, Hinata got to her own feet and timidly placed a hand on his left metal arm.

"I-It'll be alright." She said, trying to reassure the younger Elric brother.

Al looked at her and the hand she had on his arm.

"Thanks Hinata." He said, turning his attention back to the house just as his brother entered it.

 **xxx**

Edward ended up busting Psiren out of the trap, helping her escape. However she claimed not to know anything about the Philosopher's stone when Ed asked her, much to the group's dismay.

The next day the threesome were trying to decide what their next move should be as they walked through town, when there was an explosion.

"That's where the hospital is!" Al gasped and they all hurried in the direction of the explosion. Hinata had a very bad feeling about it, especially since no one else seemed to be disturbed by it much.

Could it be . . . ?

Sure enough when they arrived the teens were greeted with a pile of rubble that use to be hospital, enclosed by a small fence. There was "For Sale" sign in front of the debris along with a number to call.

"That no good . . . she tricked us!" Ed snarled.

Hinata sighed, disappointed, but she held onto the small shred of hope that Clara would have a good explanation for this since Ed was likely to go off in search of her.

"Brother don't say that, Clara isn't the kind of person who would do that! There has to be a mistake!" Al insisted.

"The only mistake is in that tin can head of yours!" Ed raged. "She's robbed you of your common sense and played your emotions like a damn harp!"

"Don't say that Ed, you know what will happen." Al said, his tone injured.

Hinata stepped in between them.

"P-please calm down, we'll just find Clara and she can explain everything!" She said, facing Ed.

"Damn right we'll find her!" Ed sneered.

"Brothers should not argue, and you, young man should not swear. It's sinful." A very familiar voice said behind them.

Hinata looked over her shoulder and blinked, trying to make sure her "all seeing" eyes were not playing tricks on her. The brothers turned also, and yelped in shock when they saw Clara.

The young woman had changed into nun clothing and was holding a cross in between her hands, smiling serenely at them.

"Am I hallucinating?" Al whispered.

"I wish you were." Ed said dully.

Hinata could feel a headache coming on.

Clara took them to a convent and explained, without going into detail, that she had been unable to get the money in time for the hospital. In her guilt and despair over being too late she became a nun. The convent they were standing in was also scheduled to be demolished and Clara said she wanted to help it and burst into tears.

Al comforted her, saying that all Clara had to do was try harder. Ed look upon the scene, unconvinced and Hinata was torn with indecision.

That night Psiren struck again, much to Al's joy since he believed the convent would be saved.

Then it was demolished, leaving them to stare at its remains.

And low and behold there was Clara behind them, dress as a school teacher with half a dozen children around her.

Ed exploded, calling her a thief and criminal that used alchemy for her own selfish gains, asking her what she was if not all that. Clara looked at Ed solemnly and responded with "the best answers we find on our own".

So the threesome once again walked down the streets, Hinata and Al glancing at Ed with concern every few minutes or so as mulled over what Clara had said. Then they came across a newspaper boy distributing papers detailing Psiren's next target.

Ed walked up a man reading the paper and asked him why he and the other townspeople buy the paper and give Psiren all of the attention.

The man smiled and explained that Psiren was Aquaroya's "Star of Hope" and clarified, saying that Aquaroya was actually sinking several feet a year and that in five years the city would be completely submerged. When the news became public some years ago everyone who could packed up and left, those who remained were "sad and lonely" before Psiren appeared. Her robberies put Aquaroya back in the spotlight and attracted news reporters and tourist hoping to see her. Because of Psiren Aquaroya was having one last "bloom" before it drowned.

After hearing what the man had to say the teens all sat down on a cliff overlooking the water to think.

"I-I guess she really is trying to help Aquaroya, just in a d-different way than we thought." Hinata offered.

Al nodded, and looked at his brother who still had yet to day anything.

"Brother, what do you think? It kind of makes sense." He said.

"Probably, I'm not sure, but I do know one thing. She tricked me, the Fullmetal Alchemist, and she's gonna at least pay for that." Ed said.

 **xxx**

That night Ed went off on his own to deal with Psiren, when Al and Hinata finally found him Psiren, now unmasked to the police as Clara, was in custody.

The young Hyuga, like Al, was sad to see the thief going to prison. She hadn't been a bad person.

Clara was lighthearted about her capture, even congratulating Ed who was leaning on his knees and breathing harshly as he tried to regain his breath after taking a long dip in the canal.

However, before she was taken away Clara told them that she had heard rumors of someone researching the components behind the Stone in a mining town called Xenotime.

Then Luke and his officers took her away.

Later that day the three boarded a train for Xenotime, Ed and Hinata sat together will bowls of food in their laps while Al sat across from them. He had pulled up his feet so they were on the seat and had wrapped his arms around them. The younger Elric was looking out the window and hadn't said a word to Edward since Clara had been arrested.

Ed sighed and asked his brother how long he was going to have a grudge.

'I didn't have a choice, I was the officer, and she was the thief. We played the parts we had." The young State Alchemist said.

Al disagreed and reminded Ed that he himself had taught Al that a person couldn't always do the right thing by following rules and social norms.

"Clara is kind, compassionate, and giving." The bodiless boy insisted. "I know you think she is too, don't you Brother?"

Ed stared into his bowl and admitted that he wasn't sure and that when it came to Clara he probably never would.

"I think C-clara is kind." Hinata confessed. "She reminds me people I-I've met over my time as a genin; not f-following social norms b-but still caring at heart."

Al's voice was beaming as he said. "Exactly."

Ed smiled slightly as the train rolled on.

* * *

 **Hope you liked it!**

 **Sign**

 _ **Snowlily246**_


	7. Imposters

**Hope you all like this chapter! The next update will be for I'll Never Forget!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Fullmetal Alchemist series and the Naruto series or the characters belonging to their respective animes.**

* * *

Chapter 7

A few short days later the threesome arrived in the old mining town Xenotime just as the sun was setting and casting its rays on the beaten down town. Xenotime looked like it had seen better days – a person could feel and see the economic misfortune.

Hinata looked at the town curiously, she had never been to any sort of mining town before and wondered how the town had collected its gold back in its heyday.

Al commented on the town's lackluster appearance and his doubt that it had ever produced gold, much less a Philosopher's Stone.

Ed refuted Al's doubts, and pointed out that the lack of gold would be a perfect reason for Xenotime to create a Philosopher's Stone. There was also the added bonus that the people could transmute gold without looking too suspicious because of the town's pass as a gold mining town.

Al sighed. "Is money all that grownups think about?" He asked, exasperation clear in his voice.

Hinata bit her bottom lip to hide the smile threatening to appear on her face. Suddenly there was a loud sound, like something heavy had fallen, and then a man's voice.

"Elisa! You there, give me a hand!"

The teens had just been entering the outer rims of Xenotime, the sounds were coming from behind a fence and sand hill. Hinata could see the tell-tale sign of mine shafts in the rocky hill where the voices had come from.

Without a word they went to investigate and found a young girl pinned to the ground by an upturned mining cart. Only the huge rock on the girl's other side had preventing the cart from crushing her. There were men surrounding the cart, and from what Hinata could hear they were unable to move it themselves.

"What's wrong?" Ed called out, they were still some yards away.

"It's my daughter, she's trapped!" The man they had heard earlier said.

The brothers and Hinata picked up the pace, this close up the young Hyuga could see that the girl had been crying. The child had brown-red hair in low pigtails and light brown eyes.

Ed examined the fallen cart, then smiled at the girl – Elisa – and asked her to stay still for a moment. Then he clapped his hands and transmuted the cart into a large rectangular block, sitting up on its own. Hinata mentally noted it was much taller than anyone here.

The people and Elisa looked at Ed, stunned, as he smiled reassuringly at the formally trapped girl.

 **xxx**

As a gesture of gratitude Elisa's father invited Hinata and her friends to his house for a meal. The men who had tried to free Elisa from the cart, and other relatives of the girl, were also gathered around the table.

Hinata smiled uncomfortably, especially when she noted how the people present were staring at her strange white eyes and foreign looks. Elisa seemed to be the most curious, occasionally snatching looks at the older girl.

"We were very lucky that you showed up when you did, a real alchemist." Elisa's father said, smiling.

Elisa, who was next to her father added, "And don't forget his metal dad!"

Al made a choking sound and Hinata was unable to contain her giggling. Ed, controlling his own mirth, corrected Elisa and explained that Al was his younger brother.

"Older?" Elisa repeated, looking confused. "But he's so much bigger than you are."

Now it was Al's turn to giggle, Hinata smiled at him shyly, her own muffled laughter at her lips. Ed's expression was something to see, his emotion a mix between chagrin, horror and dismay.

"What about you?" Elisa asked, turning to Hinata. "Are you a girlfriend or something?"

Despite the innocence of the question Hinata felt her face turn completely red, shocking the people. She looked like she was about to pass out.

"A-ah no. I'm j-just a n-new friend! We m-met a-a little over a w-week ago!" Hinata managed to spit out. The word "girlfriend" brought back memories of a cheerful blond, blue eyed, prankster/genin who never gave up no matter what the odds.

Having said her bit Hinata quickly took hold of the juice that had been poured for her and started to drink. She needed time to compose herself, meanwhile Ed was still moping over Elisa's earlier words.

"We're just happy you're alright Elisa." Al finally said, deflecting attention from Hinata.

Hinata nodded, her face skin fading back into its fair complexion again as she put her drink down. "Yes."

Then the door opened, and Ed snapped out of his horrified shock. It was a man with a basket of lemons under one arm. He had black hair styled over one eye and brown eyes. His eyes searched the room and rested on Elisa who perked up, however Hinata could feel the angry radiating off the girl's father.

"Uncle Belsio!" Elisa said happily and started to walk to him but her father stopped her. He glared at Belsio.

"Get out." He ordered. "You have a lot of nerve coming to my house after you almost got my daughter killed." He turned to his daughter and forbid her from helping Belsio with his "work".

"No Daddy! I was the one who begged him to let me help! I was –" She erupted into coughing and her father quickly apologized and grabbed a glass of water. As Elisa drank Belsio put the lemons on a nearby table, said he was sorry, and left.

It was silent for a moment.

Hinata observed Elisa with worried eyes.

Elisa approached the basket of lemons and sadly explained that she had only wanted to have some of the lemon pie her father use to make. Belsio had told her all about the pie and expressed regret that all the farms had closed down. Elisa added that she had thought that if she helped her uncle she could taste her father's pie.

There was another long silence.

Then one of the men spoke up and said that once the Philosopher's Stone had been completed Xenotime could buy all the lemons they wanted from other towns.

Ed sat up his chair.

"The Philosopher's Stone?" He asked eagerly.

Elisa's father and the rest of the Xenotime citizens brighten up and suddenly closed in on Ed and Al, and as a consequence Hinata found herself in the crowd as well.

The people begged the Elric brothers to finish the stone as soon as possible so that Xenotime could once again be the "City of Gold" and their economic depression could finally be reversed.

The brothers got somewhat flustered and Ed promised to try his best.

Suddenly Elisa's father said. "Ah, we didn't get any of your names, please tell us the names of our saviors."

Hinata hoped she wasn't included in that count – she may understand alchemy but she wasn't an alchemist herself. As such she doubted she could help the brothers all that much past talking about theories and formulas.

"Oh, sorry about that. You can call me Edward Elric." Ed said with a grin.

"I'm his younger brother, Alphonse." Al said shyly.

"M-my name is H-hinata Hyuga." Hinata said, bowing slightly.

The people looked at Ed with confusion.

"Edward Elric the Fullmetal Alchemist; Hero of the People?" Elisa's father asked for clarification.

"Yep!" Ed confirmed, his grin widening.

Hinata, however sensed a change in the people, one of the men looked angry and started to walk forward. Elisa father put a hand out, stopping him and turned to Hinata.

"You've only just met them Miss?" He asked, eyes searching her face.

Hinata nodded, a puzzled expression on her face. What had happened?

"I see." Elisa's father said and when he turned his attention back to the Elrics there was no denying the anger on his face.

It had happened very fast.

Hinata gaped as the people suddenly seized her new friends and threw them out of the house, Ed's suitcase not being far behind.

"W-what are you doing?!" She demanded, standing up from her seat. The girl ran up to the crowd and struggled to see over them so she could find Ed and Al.

"They're fakes!" Elisa's father said angrily.

Startled, Hinata froze up. What . . . ?

She could hear Ed yelling, demanding to know what was the people's problem.

"The real Elric brothers are already in Mugiar's castle working on the Stone!" Elisa's father said angrily. "Come back when you're ready to tell us who you really are!"

Then the door was slammed shut.

Hinata's hands were entangled together and she looked at the floor. The briefest flicker of doubt in her new friends flutter for a moment in her heart, and then she remembered the confrontation with Cornello. The little speck of doubt was snuffed out and she straightened up. There was no way she could believe that they were imposters – not after seeing the two bare their sins and greatest shame for Rose's sake. The girl had basically been a stranger but Ed and Al had willingly explained their mistake when they could have just kept quiet.

For the sole purpose of keeping Rose from making the same mistakes they did and learning her lesson the hard way.

The small group of people had been too busy grumbling to each other to notice Hinata's strange stillness as she thought things out, but Elisa was the one to realize that the girl was grabbing her bag.

"Where are you going?" She asked, getting the attention of the adults.

Hinata shouldered her bag and looked up at them.

"They are who they say they are, I refuse to believe otherwise." She stated simply.

Elisa's father folded his arms in front of him and said in response. "If you want to believe them, go ahead. When you wise up you're welcomed back here."

Hinata frowned.

"Instead of making accusations you should asking questions." She retorted. "Did the fake Ed e-even show you proof that he was a State Alchemist?"

There was silence.

"I guess you don't care whether he is the real thing or not, as long as you get your stone." The Hyuga said out loud thoughtfully, the theory had its merit.

Without another word to the people she walked out of the house, not realizing she had barely stuttered.

The brothers weren't outside and she looked around biting her lip, had they thought she doubted them?

Then the Hyuga noticed Ed's suitcase tucked into a shadowy corner, she hurried to it but its owner was nowhere in sight. Hinata sat down beside it and tried to think; if they weren't here where would they go?

She looked up and noticed Mugear's castle, recalling what Elisa's father had said about the fake Elrics being there and helping the man create a Stone.

There was nowhere else for them to go – and why else would Ed leave his suitcase behind unless it was dead weight?

After tucking her bag away with Ed's Hinata leaped to the rooftops and started to run, she would be there in no time.

 **xxx**

Hinata arrived at the castle in time to see Ed and Al sneaking onto the grounds and pass the guards. She observed them from the tree she was crouched in as Ed transmuted a door of sorts for him and Al to enter.

There was a faint light and much to Hinata's dismay it did not go unnoticed. Two shadowy figures stiffened when the light reached them, then promptly left.

She needed to warn the brothers.

Hinata jumped down from her hiding spot and crept toward the little door Ed had transmuted. She poked her head in and found her friends to her right. The room they were in was filled with bookshelves stuffed with books. Ed had taken one off the shelf in front of him and was reading from it.

"All these books are about the Philosopher's Stone." Ed muttered.

"That means that the Stone is definitely being made here." Al said quietly. Ed nodded absently, his attention on the book.

"In case the guards weren't clue enough this place is off limits." A boy's voice said. Ed and Al turned around to see the speaker.

Hinata, by this time, had crept into the room and quietly watched the confrontation, the girl had yet to be noticed despite her proximity. She felt an uncommon swell of pride in herself; Hinata came from a team that specialized in information gathering and tracking, her teammates and sensei would be proud if they could see her now.

The speaker was a blond boy whose hair was a lighter color than Ed's and possessed dark blue eyes. He was taller than Ed, Hinata could see that from where she was, and behind him was another boy. The little boy couldn't be more than eleven or twelve and shared the taller boy's hair and eye color. He had a green band around his head, keeping his hair out of his eyes.

"You wouldn't be, by any chance . . ." Al started to say.

"The ones stealing our names?" Ed finished.

"I take that means you're the real Ed, in the suit." The older boy said.

"Me?" Al asked, startled. Hinata tried to control the smile attempting to form on her lips.

"NO YOU DOLT! I'M THE REAL ED, WHY DOES EVERYONE KEEP THINKING THAT?!" Ed raged.

"Wait, you're the older brother?" The younger boy asked, looking surprised.

"DAMN RIGHT!" Ed snarled, much to Hinata's dismay. Did he want the gunmen to hear him?

The younger boy flinched and hid behind the older one who smiled and suggested Ed stop his racket if he wanted to keep the gunmen away.

Ed immediately quieted, looking sheepish.

"Strange, the younger brother wears a suit of armor to protect himself. Hard to believe you're just fourteen." The Ed imposter said, smiling as he walked up to the duo, leaving the younger one by the door.

"How do you know so much about us?" Al asked.

As the imposter approached her friends Hinata decided it was time to reveal herself.

"Probably from word of mouth, he has to know these things to impersonate Ed." She said, standing up.

The Elric brothers jumped and both imposters turned to her with surprise.

"H-hinata! How long have you been there?" Al asked.

"Since the beginning." Hinata answered, walking up to him and Ed.

"No way, I didn't notice you at all!" Ed protested.

"Sneaking around u-undetected is one of my specialties." Hinata explained.

"And who would you be?" The Ed imposter asked, examining her critically.

"Hinata Hyuga, a new friend of t-the Elrics." She answered, a bit warily.

"Your name sounds foreign, and you look foreign too." Imposter Ed observed, he looked at her with interest. "You're eyes are unusual, just where are you from?"

 _'It's like alchemists have a sixth sense about my eyes being more than "strange" and actually "special". Well Clara was an exception but maybe she just hid her initial surprise very well.'_ Hinata thought, a tad exasperated.

The younger imposter stared at her, taking in the pale skin, dark hair and big white eyes. If anyone had been looking at him, they have seen a dazzled sort of look in his face.

"Alright that's enough!" Ed said. He grabbed Hinata's shoulder and maneuvered her behind him so he was right in front of his imposter. Hinata blinked, and looked to her right at Al, she could sense his worry over the situation.

"Why the hell are you using our names?" He demanded.

"We're just borrowing them." The imposter said casually. "Why don't you just go home, and leave us to handle things here."

"Huh, that's not how you beg someone. Get on your knees!" Ed said.

The imposter just stood there, smiling.

"Um, Edward . . ." Hinata said timidly. She was wasn't sure if she had spoken too low, or Ed was simply ignoring her. Either way the teen did not respond.

"Get on your knees!" Ed demanded again, losing patience.

"Why, so we can see eye to eye? I'd figure you would be use to people looking down on you." The imposter said, amusement in his voice.

Ed's temper snapped and he threw a punch at the fake, only for the other boy to lean his head to the left. The Fullmetal Alchemist kept throwing punches but his imposter easily avoided them before finally grabbing Ed's right hand.

Hinata gasped, this imposter was no amateur to combat.

"An auto-mail arm huh? So the real Ed has seen action too." The imposter smirked.

Ed smirked back and remarked that he was glad the imposter had skills too, he'd hate for his name to be damaged. He punctuated his last words by kicking at the imposter's face with his left leg.

The imposter barely dodged it, and skidded away from Ed. Still smirking he remarked that he always wanted to see what a full fleshed State Alchemist was capable of.

Ed told him he would be sorry he asked and ran at his imposter. The other boy quickly and seamlessly dodged Ed's hit and punched him in the face with enough force to send the young State Alchemist crashing into a bookshelf.

"Brother!" Al cried out. Worried, Hinata bit her lip and looked to the imposter at the door. To her relief it didn't look like he was going to join the fight, the two boys were making enough commotion as it was, it was only a matter of time before the gunmen came. What hit the Hyuga the most however was the Alphonse imposter's expression. It gave the impression that he didn't want this fight any more than they did.

Ed used his alchemy as Hinata thought this over, making part of the floor rise and rush toward the older imposter with sharp tips.

The imposter dodged, running toward another aisle of bookshelf and appearing a few feet across from the group to their right.

"So you don't need a circle, not bad!" The nameless boy slammed his hand onto the ground, red sparks flew in opposed to Ed's blue ones and the same attack he used was rushing toward them.

Hinata gasped and threw herself to the side as Ed dragged his brother after them, the younger boy caught by surprised from the imposter's ability to transmute without a circle. They landed a little ahead of the girl, they all looked up at the imposter who was smiling smugly. Looking ahead of her Hinata saw the Al imposter still in the doorway, looking fearful.

"How did you . . . you have a Philosopher's Stone?!" Ed shouted at his imposter who merely smiled.

Hinata frowned, gingerly holding her head, for some reason being around the stone made her dizzy and lightheaded.

Then the shouts could be heard.

"What was that?"

"It came from over there, come on!"

Rushing to her feet Hinata turned to her friends and tugged at Ed's arm.

"We must go!" She whispered as he and Al stood up.

The elder Elric nodded and the three ran pass the Ed imposter and through the door Ed had transmuted, vanishing into the night.

* * *

 **Hope you all liked it!**

 **Sign**

 _ **Snowlily246**_


	8. Healing the Sick

**Hope you all enjoy this! Leave reviews and tell me what you think!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Fullmetal Alchemist series or the Naruto series, nor do I own the respective characters of each show.**

* * *

Chapter 8

The threesome sat on a huge dirt hill outside of town, it was night out and the full white moon shone bright. Hinata glanced at Ed, his cheek was swollen from when his imposter had punched him.

"Damn it, my body is sore all over." Ed grunted from her right. Hinata could relate a little, throwing herself out of the way of the imposter's attack had left her with a few bruises from the hard floor.

"The fake you was pretty strong, huh?" Al asked, on Ed's other side.

"He had something givin' him a boost." Ed retorted, eyes closed.

"Hmm." Was Al's response and it was quiet between the three again before he spoke again.

"You think that means they finished the Philosopher's Stone?" He asked.

Not sure if he was talking to her Hinata opted to shrug her shoulders while Ed, who been leaning back with his head in his hands, leaned forward.

"I don't know, but I'm gonna find out." He said, determination shining bright in his gold colored eyes.

"You think they might know something about who my mother wanted me to find?" Hinata asked quietly, her eyes on the moon that so resembled them.

"It's possible." Al said, waiting to keep her spirits up. She smiled softly, and encouraged he went on.

"You know, I wonder why those brothers stole my and Ed's names. Are they even brothers?" Here his tone turned mischievous "I also wonder if Brother's imposter is older than him or -?"

He didn't finish because Ed whacked him over the head, sending the armor to its side. Hinata watched the spectacle with a hand over her mouth, half amused at the scene and half concerned for Al.

"Size means nothing!" Ed said sourly.

Soon Hinata started to drift off to sleep and the brothers maneuvered her so she was on Al's other side. Despite how cold his armor was she slept soundly, using his leg as a pillow.

Ed, whose cheek had grown swollen, was also lying his head on Al's leg. He sighed happily, saying how good Al's cold armor felt against his cheek.

"Glad I can be of help to you, even in this armor." Al said cheerfully, he shifted slightly and the movement woke up Hinata. She blinked sleepily as she sat up and yawned, rubbing at her left eye with a fisted hand.

"How long have I been sleeping?" She asked.

If Al could blush he would have, Hinata looked so . . . cute.

"Not long." Ed said, more focused on his stinging cheek.

Hinata blinked again and the sleep clouding her mind started to lift, she looked at them, puzzled as something occurred to her.

"I was sleeping against something . . ." She muttered.

"That was Al." Ed answered, still pressing his cheek to Al's armor.

Hinata's mouth popped open and her face quickly turned dark pink.

"I-I'm sorry!" She burst out.

"What are you saying sorry for? I don't mind." Al said, thinking that Hinata was the type that got flustered easily.

As Hinata's flushed face faded into pink she noticed Ed and his swollen cheek.

"Ed, a-are you alright?" She asked, concerned, getting up and moving over to him.

"Just swollen from where that fake punched me, it's nothing." Ed said as Hinata knelled in front of him and looked at it. Much to his and Al's surprise she suddenly reached out and cupped the swollen cheek in one hand, her brow knitted in concentration.

"Hinata, what are you -?" Al stopped mid-sentence when he saw her hand glowing a light green.

Ed blinked and Al gasped, the swelling was going down!

After another minute Hinata pulled her hand away.

"Is that better?" The Hyuga asked.

"I-It feels like I never got hit." Ed stammered, touching his previously wounded cheek. It indeed looked like it had never been injured.

"I've never seen healing like that before!" Al said, his voice filled with wonder and curiosity.

"It's the Mystical Palm Technique, I became i-interested in healing and studied medical ninjutsu." Hinata explained. "I-I channel my chakra on the injured point and use it to fix the d-damage. I-I would have used my salves b-but the jars are in my b-bag."

"You've studied medicine along with combat?" Al asked.

Hinata nodded.

"I have a k-knack for it, my mentor L-lady Tsuande told me I was a-ahead of the learning curve. I-I only started a few months a-ago." She elaborated.

"That's good." Al said as Ed poked his cheek experimentally.

"Yeah," The older Elric said, still in a slight disbelief. "That's really good. Now we'll have someone to keep the rest of my body in one piece."

Al nodded in agreement.

"The rest of your b-body?" Hinata asked.

"Our childhood friend, Winry Rockbell, is an auto-mail mechanic like her granny Pinako. She built Ed his auto-mail arm and leg and is basically who we go to if they get destroyed. Winry keeps his auto-mail together." Al explained. "And now we have you, you're going to probably gonna end up being the one who patches up the rest of Brother's body that's still flesh and blood."

"Oh." Hinata said, understanding. The two brothers did seem to get in a lot of trouble in their search for the Philosopher's Stone. Having someone in the group who knew how to heal would be very beneficial for Ed's health.

The sound of sand shifting caught Hinata's attention, she turned around and saw Belsio. Ed looked at him with surprise as the man stared back at them evenly.

Hinata looked at the light shovel Belsio had over his shoulder, what had he been doing?

"You're the guy with the lemons." Ed recalled.

"If you need a place to stay you can come with me." Belsio said, getting to the point.

Hinata blinked as the brothers looked at each other, then Ed turned back to the older man and nodded.

 **xxx**

After getting their bags the trio followed Belsio to his farm.

"Thank you for taking us in." Al said.

"Yes, t-thank you very much." Hinata added.

"I couldn't just let you kids sleep outside, now could I?" Was the farmer's only response.

The kids were sitting at the table in Belsio's house, and as they talked with him learned that Belsio was not hung up on the Philosopher's Stone like his neighbors. He explained that the other townspeople couldn't, or were unwilling, to forget the immense wealth the gold gave them. So Mugear and the imposters had the people around their fingers.

After the talk everyone went to sleep.

The next morning, Hinata was up earlier than her friends and put herself to use by helping Belsio out on some of his work tending to the lemon trees and made breakfast. When the boys came out of their room they were surprised to see Hinata in an apron and putting dishes of scrambled eggs on the table. Belsio was already sitting down and eating.

"Good morning." Hinata said warmly.

"Morning." Al said as he and Ed took a seat.

"Your friend is a good cook." Belsio said, scooping more eggs onto his plate. Ed stuffed some eggs into his mouth and hummed in satisfaction and agreement.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Belsio asked, looking at Al who had yet to touch his food. Nervously, Al fibbed and said he was not a breakfast person.

Belsio let it go.

Just as Hinata was getting ready to sit down Elisa arrived, blinking when she saw him gathered with the newcomers at his table.

"Your father won't be happy if he finds you here." Belsio said calmly as he walked over to the sink and cleaned his dish.

Elisa perked up.

"No worries, Daddy is too wrapped in the talk about the gold mines to notice." She said cheerfully before turning her attention back to the teens.

Hinata smiled shyly at the girl.

"D-do you want some eggs? There's still s-some left."

Elisa looked at the table, the way Ed was going at his eggs, and nodded. A minute later she was happily munching away at her own eggs.

"These are really good!" She praised, making Hinata blush happily.

"So, why are you staying at Uncle's house pretend brothers?" The little girl asked.

"What do you think? I'm not leaving until I know why those fakes are stealing our names!" Ed said. "Besides it's a crime to transmute gold, they're going down -!"

"Brother," Al said quietly. Ed paused and saw Elisa staring at her plate with a forlorn expression. Hinata shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

Ed sighed and got up from his chair, stretching. Keeping his hands behind his head he started to walk to the door.

"Thanks for the food, I'm gonna see what I can find out in town."

"Brother." Al said with disapproval but Ed did not pause and was soon gone. There was a moment of silence before Hinata got up and gathered the plates, leaving Elisa alone since she was still eating.

Belsio then spoke up, and asked Al to drop by the pharmacy to get medicine for Elisa. Al agreed to do the errand and soon left, Hinata hurried as she washed the dishes. Since the townspeople believed the Elrics were lying chances were that Al wouldn't be received well.

By the time Hinata finished and arrived at the pharmacy Al was nowhere to be seen. She peeked through the window but she her friend was absent in the pharmacy's coughing customers.

Puzzled, Hinata took a step back and frowned before a thought occurred to her. The girl looked around, seeing no people she activated her Byakugan.

A few moments later she spotted Al's imposter, he was holding something . . . and walking in the direction Al was located in! But there was something else . . .

The people in the pharmacy behind her, all of their lungs were laced with a toxic red light that glowed eerily. Hinata deactivated her Byakugan and put a hand to her mouth.

The people with bad coughs in this town . . . they were all being poisoned!

Needing no further prompting Hinata raced to where she had seen Al and his imposter.

When she arrived Al was just finishing up the conversation.

". . . It's tough, I know. But if someone else has to intervene, it will only hurt your brother more."

The two boys were sitting on a pile of pipes stacked on top of one another in the middle of a fenced in construction sight. Hinata stepped up to them from behind and the sound of her footsteps

"Hinata." Al said. His imposter's cheeks turned a light pink and he avoided directly looking at her.

"Al, what's g-going on?" She asked.

"I was just talking to him, there's a lot more to the story, they didn't take my and Brother's name for fame or anything like that. I'll explain later." The younger Elric said.

Hinata hesitantly nodded after a moment, and then turned her attention to the imposter and smiled, admittedly a bit on the cautious side.

"H-hello. In case you didn't remember my name is Hinata H-hyuga." She said.

The imposter smiled back shyly and offered a "hello" of his own.

After a few more minutes of introduction the three left the construction site and started to walk together to their own destinations. Eventually they reached a fork in the path, with one going out of town and to the mountain where Mugear lived. The other road headed out of town and to the farm.

Al looked at the packaged medicine he was holding, his imposter had bought it for him when the lady who ran the pharmacy refused to serve Al and kicked him out.

"Have you guys noticed that a lot of people have bad coughs in this town?" He asked, his tone curious.

Hinata flinched, she had not told Al about what she had seen with her Byakugan because of his imposter's presence. As she looked to the side she saw the Al imposter with an equally, if not more so, uncomfortable expression.

"I haven't noticed." The boy said.

"Isn't this cough medicine though?" Al asked, looking at the package.

"Um, actually . . ." The imposter said nervously, but he cut himself off. Hinata looked up and saw the Ed imposter at the end of the visible part of the path that led to Mugear's mansion.

"Brother," The younger boy said.

 _'So they are brothers.'_ Hinata thought.

The older boy wordlessly walked out of sight.

"I gotta go!" The Al imposter said, and started to run after his brother.

"Wait, what's your real name?!" Al shouted after him.

The younger imposter looked over his shoulder at them and smiled.

"It's Fletcher!" He said and ran off.

 _'It suits him.'_ Hinata thought, smiling slightly. She couldn't help but think of him as a well-meaning person despite not knowing the details. Everything about Fletcher was so honest and earnest.

Suddenly Ed appeared, he didn't notice them at first and almost ran past them before Al called out to him.

Ed, angry, asked them if they had seen his imposter.

Hinata looked away and Al nervously fibbed and said they hadn't seen the Ed imposter.

Ed then declared that they were sneaking into the mansion again tonight, saying that the gunmen wouldn't expect them to break in again one day later.

Hinata watched from the window as her friends walked away into the night, she had been planning on going with them but had gotten a bad feeling. The girl couldn't describe it but felt like she had to stay at the farm and watch over it.

There was also the fact that Elisa's coughing had worsened, it pained Hinata to see her like that and she wanted to tend to the child.

The brothers hadn't protested, and Ed had said it would be a good idea to have someone stay at the farm. There was no telling if Mugear would retaliate by sending men to Belsio's farm to do god knew what. Xenotime was a small town, it would take much effort to find out where they were staying.

The boys had just rounded the corner when Belsio spoke from behind Hinata, she had been aware of his watching but hadn't said anything.

"Off to Mugear's mansion again?" He asked.

She looked over her shoulder and nodded wordlessly.

Elisa's harsh coughing grew louder, Belsio sighed, his expression weary.

"She insisted on spending the night, girl doesn't listen to reason at all just like your friends. Her dad's going to be furious but I can't let her go outside with that cough."

"Belsio . . . I have t-training in medicine. Perhaps I can do s-something to ease the coughing." Hinata mumbled.

The older man looked at her steadily.

"I saw what you did for the older boy's cheek, how you made the swelling go down just by touching him. Your hands were glowing. Are you telling me you can do something similar for Elisa?" He asked.

Slightly surprised by his honesty Hinata was silent for a moment.

Then, she took a deep breath and looked up at him.

"I c-can try."

 **xxx**

Belsio sat in a chair at the corner of the room, watching Hinata exam his niece with the Byakugan. The man had been more than a little startled, and Elisa more than a little frightened but not very surprised. Hinata had warned them beforehand about her eyes.

One look and Hinata saw the same red toxic light in Elisa's lungs that had been in the pharmacy customers, however it was to a lesser degree and from how it clung to the ribcage and lungs itself had been in the girl's body for quite some time.

"Elisa, have you always been sick?" Hinata asked. She was standing in front of the girl's bed, Elisa herself was sitting up and facing her "doctor" while fidgeting a bit.

"For as long as I can remember, Daddy says that other babies got sick too. It was something going around Xenotime when I was born." Elisa replied in between coughs.

Hinata bit her lip, the only reasonable conclusion she could come up with was that something was poisoning the townspeople, and that it was something they were exposed to daily. That would explain why the toxic red light hadn't receded and faded away on its own. And if what Elisa said was true about babies getting sick as well that meant the pregnant mothers had to have ingested the poisoned material.

But what was the source?

Putting that question away for the time being Hinata leaned down on her knees and looked at Elisa.

"I'm going to try and make the coughing go away alright? It'll probably be uncomfortable at first but I need you to bear with me. Can you do that Elisa?"

The girl nodded after a moment of hesitation.

It didn't take too long.

Elisa had gasped when the hands Hinata had placed over her chest where her lungs were glowed a soft green. She started to cough harshly for the first minute as Hinata targeted the toxic red light and it clashed with her chakra.

Belsio tensed, his hands curling into fist of anxiety and got to his feet. Had Hinata not been completely absorbed in treating Elisa she would have noticed the question that died on his lips when the chakra glowing on her palms became brighter.

Elisa gasped again, this time from shock as she felt the dull ache in her chest she had always lived with flare painfully one last time before disappearing.

Hinata watched the toxic red light glow bright one last time and go completely dull, the young Hyuga smiled. Now that she had dealt with the toxic properties in the red staining Elisa's lungs all that was left was now was to completely eradicate the red stains. Within an hour Hinata had finished burning away the substance in Elisa's lungs and the girl's faint fever went down.

Hinata's hands ceased to glow and with a weary sigh she fell back onto her butt on the floor. Healing Elisa had taken quite a bit of chakra since the red light hadn't gone without a fight.

Belsio went over to the two girls, after taking a quick look at Hinata who assured him she was fine with a wave of her hand he checked on his niece.

"Elisa, how do you feel?" He asked, taking her by the shoulders.

"I don't know Uncle Belsio, I feel like I – like I was never sick. My chest feels really light, I can breathe really well!" Elisa said eagerly, comprehension slowly dawning on her what this meant.

"Take it easy for a couple of days, I boosted your immune system but you can still get sick with something else if you're not careful. Adjust gradually to life without that cough." Hinata advised.

Elisa nodded, most of the words going over her head but Belsio was listening and Hinata knew he would keep an eye on his niece like he always had.

"Come on, I'll get you to your room, you look exhausted." The farmer offered, helping Hinata to feet, but the girl wasn't listening.

Since she had yet to deactivate her Byakugan Hinata was able to clearly see the four men walking up to Belsio's house.

And they were all armed.

 _'I won't last against them, I'm too weak from healing Elisa.'_ Hinata thought.

"What's wrong Big Sister?" Elisa asked, making Hinata snap her head back in the girl's direction. The armed men were temporally forgotten.

"W-what did you call me?" Hinata squeaked.

"I called you Big Sister, don't you like it?" Elisa asked, starting to frown.

"N-no, I like it, you just caught m-me by surprise!" Hinata muttered, then she remembered the men and turned to Belsio.

"There are four men approaching the house and they're all armed. You need to take Elisa and hide, c-chances are they're here for me." Hinata whispered so as not to scare Elisa.

"I can't just leave you here." Belsio objected as Hinata finally deactivated her Byakugan, she needed to preserve her chakra.

"You have too, they might gun down you and Elisa. They might gun all of us down, I don't have the s-strength to protect you and Elisa while fighting too. Y-you can help me by leaving."

"But –" Belsio was cut off by the harsh banging on the door. Elisa wrapped her arms around her knees, not liking the change in atmosphere.

"Belsio! Open the door, we know you're inside!" One of the men shouted.

"What business do you have with me?!" Belsio shouted back before Hinata could stop him.

"The imposters have broken into Mugear's mansion again and we know they've been staying with you! We also know you have their traveling companion as well, turn her over and you will be unharmed!" The man ordered.

"Uncle Belsio." Elisa whimpered.

"It's going to be alright." Belsio whispered.

"Yes, it will be." Hinata said and quickly got behind Belsio, she pressed a pressure point on his neck that sent him into sleep instantly.

"Uncle Belsio! What did you do to him?" Elisa whispered.

"I just made him take a nap, he'll be up in a few minutes. Can you tell him thank you from me for letting me and my friends stay at his house?" Hinata asked, laying the grown man on Elisa's bed easily.

The girl nodded, seeing her worry Hinata tried to reassure her.

"I'll be alright, don't worry. My friends will be here soon and I know they'll get me out if I haven't escaped by then." She said.

"You have two more minutes to hand over the girl before we take her and burn your house to the ground!" The man shouted, impatience in his voice.

Hinata quickly left the room, not looking back at Elisa's teary expression.

The men kept their word, as soon as Hinata turned herself in they tied up and gagged her. They left with Hinata being carried over the leader's shoulder, semiconscious.

Elisa watched them go, her face pressed up against the glass window.

* * *

 **Hope you all enjoyed this!**

 **Sign**

 _ **Snowlily246**_


	9. Mugear's End

**Hoped you enjoyed this chapter, please leave reviews!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Fullmetal Alchemist nor do I own the respective characters of each anime.**

* * *

Chapter 9

Mugear watched the red water gush down in its underground spring, thinking over the complications he had been forced to deal with the pass few days.

The real Elric Brothers coming by had been troublesome but not unexpected, he had already put the Tringham Brothers in the cellar and was planning to invite the Elrics to his mansion tomorrow.

The other complication was a little more . . . tricky.

The woman who had been helping him, Lust, told him that she wanted the girl the Elrics were traveling with to be captured. Apparently this Hinata Hyuga was someone of interest, and not to be harmed.

Mugear's men successfully took the girl from where she had been staying and now Hinata was in a drug induced sleep. The drug itself had been laced with Red Water by Lust's specific order, not wanting the child to escape.

At least that was the excuse she gave.

It would be an understatement to say that the measures Lust was taking to keep this girl under control were a bit unnerving.

"How do things go, Mugear?" Lust asked from behind him.

Use to her suddenly appearing behind him Mugear wasn't too surprised and turned to where Lust was sitting.

"Excellent, I've handled everything and soon we'll have the Elric Brothers to put our plan into action."

"You make everything sound easy, but those boys are more complexed than you'd think." Lust said casually from where she was sitting on top of the fountain the Red Water was pouring from. Unlike Mugear and other humans she didn't need a mask while near the toxic substance, being completely unaffected by it.

Mugear had his theories about that but left it alone, he didn't want to get on Lust's bad side, and he had seen what she was capable of.

"I can handle children, I got that girl for you, didn't I?" Mugear said.

Lust looked at him from the corner of her eye.

"Speaking of the girl, what is her status?"

"She's out like a light, the Red Water laced drug has put her into a deep sleep. I doubt she'll be able to able to wake up on her own, it's near impossible."

"Hmm, good. Continue to keep an eye on her until I say so. If you can get the brothers to work our plan into motion I'll be taking her once they're done."

"May I ask why this Hinata Hyuga is so important?" Mugear asked, his curiosity overpowering his common sense.

Lust's eyes sharpened.

"No you may not, your concerns with the girl end at making sure she stays in your care until I'm ready to take her. Understood?"

"C-crystal!" Mugear stuttered, cold sweat sliding down his forehead.

"As for the Elric brothers, go ahead, it's your gamble." The black haired woman said, her tone nonchalant again.

"T-thank you! You won't regret this!" The older man said shakily and walked away. Lust watched him go and smiled.

"Besides, either way things will work out." She said, too softly for Mugear to hear.

 **XXX**

Fletcher stood on his tip toes, struggling to see through barred window in the door across from where he and his brother were being kept. Earlier he had been shocked to see Mugear having Hinata being wheeled into the room.

The girl was unconscious, but the rise and fall of her chest assured him she was alive. There had been an I.V stuck into her arm, with the I.V bag and line being wheeled into the room as well.

Needless to say Mugear hadn't been forthcoming with why Hinata was here.

"Get down from there Fletcher, it's no use." Russell Tringham sighed.

"But Brother, what do you think he wants with her?" Fletcher asked, sitting down next to the former Ed imposter.

"Probably something to do with the Red Water, damn it this is my fault!"

Russell, buried his head in his knees, letting his bound hands hang limply in front of him.

"Brother . . ." Fletcher said sadly.

The door to their prison suddenly opened and the brothers tensed, expecting the worse.

But it was only the Elric Brothers.

Ed got right to the point and told them he knew they were Nash Tringham's sons but wanted to know why they were (foolishly) continue Nash's research in the Red Water.

Russell explained that he felt as Nash's sons it was his and Fletcher's duty to continue their father's research.

Ed berated the youth, reminding him that the Red Water was making the townspeople suffer which was why Nash had abandoned his work on the substance in the first place.

Then Ed walked up to the Tringham Brothers and transmuted the bar keeping their hands separated into little blocks, freeing them. He told them they wouldn't gain happiness by chasing their dad's failed dream and to stop being something they weren't.

Ed turned, calling to Al, when Fletcher remembered Hinata and called out to him to wait. The teen looked at the boy over his shoulder.

"Mugear brought Hinata here a few hours ago, she's in the room across from ours." He said.

Ed's eyes widened, Al was already out of the room and across the hall, peeking through the barred window in the door.

"I see her Brother." Al said.

The Tringhams followed, lingering behind as Ed transmuted the door open and he and his brother went inside.

Hinata was on a white hospital bed, the kind that had wheels and could be moved. She was sleeping soundly and didn't appeared to be injured.

The only change was that the left sleeve of her jacket had been rolled up so the I.V line could be inserted, her right arm was laid across her stomach.

"Brother, what did he do to her?" Al asked, gently shaking Hinata's shoulder in an effort to wake her up.

"Don't bother Al, they've put her into a drugged sleep." Ed said, examining the clear I.V package that held the drug, something caught his eye. There was a smaller bag, hidden behind the first. Pushing the first bag aside to look at it his eyes followed the line that ran from it and connected to the first I.V line. He cursed.

"What is it?" Al asked.

"Bastard laced the drug with Red Water!" Ed hissed. At the doorway Russell's eyes widen and Fletcher gasped.

"They what?" Al asked, his voice trembling.

"I don't understand, even if it was diluted with the drug this much Red Water being injected into her system overnight . . . she should be near death." Ed muttered, he checked Hinata's pulse; it was steady and strong.

"In any case we should remove the I.V lines." Al said, his brother nodded in agreement and he got to work removing the tape that kept the line in Hinata's arm. Ed turned to the former imposters.

"Will you stay here and watch her? If Mugear went to this much trouble to keep her sedated chances are he has someone ready to get her off the property if something happens." The older Elric asked.

Russell nodded after a moment.

"I've got the lines out Brother, hopefully she'll wake up soon." Al said, turning to his brother.

Ed nodded. "Alright then, now let's go deal with Mugear."

When the two left the room it was quiet for a few seconds.

"Brother, should Hinata really be dead?" Fletcher asked, walking up to the sleeping girl. She looked completely normal, as if she were taking a nap.

"In a matter of speaking," Russell admitted moving to stand beside his little brother. "I'll tell you this though, after that much exposure she should not be sleeping so peacefully."

"Hmm." Fletcher said, looking at Hinata. He was worried and undeniably scared. Just what kind of person could be exposed to something like the Red Water and be so unaffected?

 **xxx**

 _Da-dum, da-dum, da-dum._

 ** _What was that sound?_**

 _Da-dum._

 ** _She knew it, that sound. It, it was her. Her heart as it pumped blood through her body, as it kept her alive._**

 _Da-dum._

 ** _S-something was wrong, different though. It was slower, muted._**

 _Da-dum._

 ** _She needed to make it go faster. This blank darkness wasn't where she belonged._**

 _Da-dum._

 _ **There was a warmth over her collarbone. It was penetrating her flesh and touching her heart.**_

Hinata felt the change immediately, as her heartrate sped up it was like a dense, foggy layer of something had been peeled away from her consciousness.

She had been brought to Mugair's mansion and in her weaken state along with her proximity to the Red Water she hadn't been able to fight properly, but she had gotten information.

Mugear was going to sacrifice unborn children for his own selfish gains.

She couldn't let that happen.

 **xxx**

Fletcher fell on his butt when Hinata suddenly sat up, gasping for air and coughing harshly. Russell stepped forward and grabbed her shoulders to keep her still. After another rough cough the boy saw something red leaving Hinata's mouth.

At first he thought it was blood, but then he saw the toxic glow and realized the truth.

Hinata was coughing up Red Water.

The girl coughed half a dozen more times, and each time more Red Water, mingled with blood, fell from her lips.

"How can she be awake, it hasn't even been five minutes since the line was removed!" Fletcher asked, shakily getting to his feet.

"We already know she's not normal, you shouldn't be too surprised with this." Russell said, not mentioning how he saw the ruby chunk around Hinata's neck glow for the briefest of moments.

Hinata stopped coughing and blinked, her lips stained red as she put a hand to her chest. It glowed a soft green.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Russell asked.

"C-checking the damage," Hinata answered, pulling her hands away. The green glow faded away. "There's no s-serious damage, I'll just b-be tired for a while."

She sighed and looked around, seeing Fletcher she blinked again.

"Where a-am I? I remember M-mugear drugging m-me." She asked, shifting herself so her feet touched the floor.

"You're in the cellar." He said, ready to steady her if it looked like she might fall, but Hinata was steady, if a bit shaky and nodded in acknowledgment of his words. As he watched them Fletcher noticed that Hinata's cheeks were flushed pink like she'd been running.

"Do you know where Al and E-ed are?"

The Tringhams looked at each other.

"They just were here five minutes ago but they went upstairs to confront Mugear." Fletcher said.

Hinata tensed up.

"Don't worry, I'm sure they're –" Fletcher was cut off the sound of gunfire.

"- fine." He finished lamely as the sound of destruction continued.

"We have to help them!" Hinata said, running past them. The Tringham Brothers looked at each other and quickly followed her.

"Wait!" Russell called out as they raced out of the room. "You just woke up!"

When the three arrived Mugear had Ed and Al cornered behind a pillar as he rained down gunfire at them with a device containing red water and with red stones thrown in to amplify it.

Russell and Fletcher used their alchemy to make the plants in the room wrap around Mugear's wrist when he paused to add more Red Stones to his device.

Using the opening Ed and Al pushed the pillar they had been hiding behind in Mugear's direction, it moved easily because of all the abuse the old man had fired at it. He cried out when it landed on him.

Al quickly saw Hinata.

"You're awake!" He cried out, delighted.

Ed, while also relieved, was confused as well.

"Five minutes after the I.V was removed and you wake up on your own?" Ed said, disbelief on his face.

Hinata shrugged her shoulders, smiling nervously. Truth be told she wasn't sure why she had woken up so fast either.

"Sorry for the interruption, but it looked like you needed help." Russell said, diverting attention from Hinata.

"As if." Ed said, but he was smiling.

"You were right, its time Fletcher and I lived our own lives." The older Tringham added, suddenly serious.

Fletcher smiled, saying his brother's name with pleasant surprise.

"Brother!" Al said suddenly and pointed. Everyone's eyes followed its direction and saw the beginning of a staircase through the gaping hole in the floorboards, right by the fallen pillar.

"A secret staircase!" Ed said, surprised, before narrowing his eyes. "Alright then, time for a chase."

Minutes later the five kids were all running down an underground tunnel and by the dull throbbing in her head that was getting stronger with each step Hinata guessed that the Red Water spring was getting close.

Bar Al the entire group had on mask covering the bottom half on their faces so they wouldn't breathe in the toxic fumes of the Red Water. Russell and Fletcher had provided them before they went down the hidden stairs, briefly explaining the dangers of breathing in the fumes. Al, not having a body of flesh, did not need a mask.

"How much farther until we get to the spring?" Ed asked.

"Not far, just up ahead." Russell said.

Abruptly the kids came up to a solid wall of concrete that prevented them from going any further.

Hinata rubbed her temples.

"The s-spring is definitely on the other side." She muttered. Al turned to her with concern.

"Are you alright?" He asked as Ed walked up to the blockage.

"I'm f-fine, the Red Water just m-makes me feel faint." Hinata mumbled – truthfully the odd sensation didn't hurt, it felt more like her energy was being drained away.

She looked up and saw Ed clap his hands together, her eyes widened.

"W-wait! Let me see what's on the o-other side first!" Hinata cried out frantically.

Too late.

Ed brought down the concrete wall easily, only to come face to face with a cannon that Mugear had transmuted.

Everyone slammed themselves into the walls on either side of the tunnel, watching the cannon fire blaze past them.

"I'll never give up the spring! As long as I have the Red Water nothing will be able to stop me, least of all a diminutive State Alchemist and his copy cat friends!" Mugear shouted.

In response to his words Ed stepped out from the edge of the hole he's created in the wall, much to the worry of his brother and friends.

"Diminutive State Alchemist huh? Points for the big word but I'm still taking you down!" Ed said determinedly, and clapped his hands together.

"Oh yeah?" Mugear sneered and fired the cannon again, however Ed had repaired the wall and the shot simply hit it instead. The backlash threw Mugear back while the concrete wall crumbled away.

Ed stepped up to Mugear's fallen form, with the Tringham brothers following some distance away. Hinata hung back, Al worriedly at her shoulder, trying to keep away from the Red Water as much as she could.

"Look at that, even with the Red Water you couldn't beat me! I'm just on a whole other level than you!" Ed boosted.

The chamber started to shake and the Red Water sloshed out of its spring.

 _'The cannon fire must have shook the support beams.'_ Hinata realized with horror.

"Ed we have to go, now!" Russell shouted.

"Brother!" Al pleaded.

Ed stepped back as Mugear crawled backward onto the rubble.

"I'll never surrender!" He kept repeating – then there was another violent shake and a huge rock fell, landing directly onto Mugear.

Ed stared at the rock for a moment, which completely covered the older man's body, before following his friends back down the tunnel the way they'd come. The sound of running water was not far behind and Ed used his alchemy to erect another concrete wall to keep the Red Water from gushing out the tunnel. But that was only a temporary fix as Al pointed out that the Red Water would probably just come out another way.

The five of them ran outside the mansion, abandoning their breathing masks, to see Red Water spilling out of the mountain and heading towards town like a rushing river. Ed quickly built a barrier from the earth that encircled Mugear's property and contained the Red Water.

"Now we just need a drain." Ed muttered, looking on as the Red Water continued to rise from where he stood safely on the hill with his friends.

Fletcher then ran over to a nearby tree and drew a transmutation circle onto its bark. He pressed his forehead against it, eyes closed in concentration, and all the surrounding trees glowed green before turning red as they absorbed the Red Water.

Al mentioned seeing something like this in the lab and Ed, out loud, stated that the Tringham brothers had been detoxifying the Red Water using plants.

Russell joined his brother and helped out, Hinata watched with awe as the trees grew to a startling height as they absorbed all of the Red Water. Once all the water was gone the brothers detoxified it with the trees, turning them blue. Fletcher thanked the trees and apologized for what he had to do next - the trees all burst into tiny flecks of blue light that rained over the town as the barrier Ed made came down.

It was a beautiful sight.

 **xxx**

A few days later the Elrics and Hinata boarded a train heading for East City, the rest of the group's stay in Xenotime had been wonderful with many apologies and the like from the townspeople. Hinata had spent most of her time answering request from people who wanted her to heal their sick relatives – word had gotten around how she healed Elisa.

Since the illness would fade away with time now that the Red Water was gone, and Hinata had only so much chakra to use, the Hyuga settled for burning away the worst of the scars the Red Water had left inside her patients. This left the sick people much better off since they'd have less side effects to deal with after so many years of exposure to the Red Water.

At the moment Hinata was saying her goodbyes to the Tringhams and Elisa from the open window next to the seats they had taken – the train cart was empty save for themselves.

Elisa gave the three lemons from her uncle as a parting gift.

The Tringhams were staying behind to work for Belsio on his lemon farm – their agriculture alchemy would be much needed here. Fletcher and Elisa also encouraged the Elrics and Hinata to drop by and visit them sometime.

Hinata smiled from where she was seated next to Ed.

"I would l-love to come back sometime." She said.

Elisa beamed while Fletcher blushed lightly which Hinata noticed but kindly did not call him out on it. She had an idea why he was so flustered around her even if it was a farfetched one – but the Hyuga was pretty sure this was how she acted around Naruto. . .

Okay, she had been much worse around Naruto than Fletcher was around her – but the boy possessed more self-confidence than Hinata did.

Russell offered to tell Ed the secret of how he crystalized the Red Water but Ed declined, saying he'll find the real article on his own. Russell just smiled.

"Just wait Ed, when you come back this town will be even better!" Fletcher said.

"Yep, and by then I'll probably be taller than you!" Elisa teased, getting laughter out of everyone but Ed, who halfheartedly told her she should respect her elders.

The train started to pull away from the station.

"Bye!" Fletcher and Elisa shouted.

Ed waved out of the window, the train turned the corner . . . and the three were lost from sight.

A few minutes later as the train rolled onto a bridge over great body of water Ed found a note hidden in the lemon basket. He picked it up and read it . . . only to twitch.

"Is something wrong Ed?" Hinata asked softly.

"N-no, nothing at all!" The older Elric stammered, which told Hinata the exact opposite.

"What does it say?!" Al asked eagerly. His brother refused to tell him so Al stole it.

He read it out loud, and Hinata realized it was from Russell.

The boy thanked Ed for his words of wisdom and apologized for being a smartass when they first met and that he was trying to be a better older brother for Fletcher to look up to. And then mentioned his age. . .

"He's a year younger than you?!" Al laughed and Hinata smiled slightly as Ed whined about how unfair life was.

"Hey Brother, you think they'll be alright?" Al asked after he stopped laughing.

"Of course they will . . . and maybe us too." Ed said.

Hinata sat back and closed her eyes, not sure if she could say the same.

* * *

 **Hoped you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Sign**

 _ **Snowlily246**_


	10. A New Lead

**Hope you all enjoy this! To Be All That Remains, And More is going to be updated next. Please review!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto series or Fullmetal Alchemist or the anime's respective characters. I own only Ryoga and the character I created to be Hinata's mother.**

* * *

Chapter 10

It was raining when they arrived at Headquarters.

Hinata held up a lavender colored umbrella over her and Ed's heads, Al had declined the spare she's offer him, saying he would be fine.

Ed was not happy to be back and complained about how Mustang would rub the fact that he and Al had found nothing about the Stone yet again. Among other things, he would also tease Ed about the latter's short height.

"It may not be t-that bad Ed." Hinata said, trying to lighten his mood.

"You've never met Mustang." Ed grumbled, then he looked at her more closely and added. "But then again you probably will soon, he'll most likely be curious about you."

Hinata wasn't sure how she felt about that but just nodded.

Al had stepped to the side for whatever reason but when Ed called him he hurried back over to him and the three went inside.

 **xxx**

Ed and Al poked their heads through a doorway that was at the end of the hall, Hinata hung back, unsure, and so was out of sight.

"Should we come back?" Ed asked, Hinata could see him taking in whatever scene was before him.

"Hey Edward, Alphonse. Guess this means you're back." A woman's voice greeted the two boys.

The boys nodded when a meow echoed from within Al's armor. The boy started to panic as his older brother gave him the stink eye. Hinata blinked.

"Excuse me, but Al and I need to talk!" He growled, then abruptly he grabbed Hinata's shoulder and pushed her inside. She squeaked as she stumbled, trying to regain her balance since the Hyuga hadn't expected it.

"This is Hinata and she'll be traveling with me and Al for a bit. Do me a favor and keep her company while I talk to Al, okay?" Ed said.

The only woman in the room gave Hinata a once over and nodded.

Ed grinned.

"Thank- Al! Don't you dare try to run from me!" He shouted, and sprinted down the hall after his brother.

"Don't forget that you have a report to make!" The woman called after him.

"I haven't, thanks for the reminder!" Ed called back.

Hinata nervously turned back to the soldiers – they were all dressed in the same blue uniform though there was a different number of, small, star shaped metals on their shoulders. She concluded that the metals must be an indication of rank or something similar.

"H-hello." She squeaked, cheeks quickly flushing a dusty pink. Her eyes took in the scene before her, noting the red haired man who 'hid' for lack of a better word on top of a set of lockers. The ex-heiress noticed him keeping an eye on the puppy being held by a solider with black hair and glasses.

"Hello." The woman returned kindly; she had blonde hair pulled back with bangs over the left side of her forehead.

Introductions quickly followed and the woman introduced herself as Riza Hawkeye. The man holding the puppy was Kain Fuery, the man on top of the lockers was Heymans Brenda, the third man with a cigarette dangling from his mouth was Jean Havoc and finally the last man (who also looked to be the oldest among the officers) was Vato Falman.

"Hey little lady." Havoc greeted, his grin one of welcome and innocent charm.

They all noticed her eyes of course, but had the presence of mind not to outright mention it.

That didn't stop some from looking though, Havoc couldn't help but stare slightly, very curious. Falman also wondered, he didn't recall having ever heard of people with such eyes.

Hinata fidgeted for a moment before her eyes settled on the puppy in Fuery's arms and she smiled hesitantly.

"Is he yours?" She asked softly.

"Huh, oh no. I found him outside and I felt sorry for him because it was raining." Fuery explained. "I'm actually trying to find him an owner, I would keep him but the dorms don't allow pets. Uh, would you like to hold him?"

Hinata nodded after a pause and the puppy was settled into her arms.

The black and white puppy squirmed for a moment, yawned, and then promptly snuggled as close to Hinata as he could before falling asleep. The girl smiled as she cradled the sleeping pup in her arms.

"That's weird, he's been really hyper up till now." Fuery commented, a little stunned. He scratched at his head as the puppy started to snore.

"Seems like you have a knack with animals." Hawkeye observed. In truth the girl did have a serene air about her – it was very calming.

"T-thank you." Hinata muttered.

"Excuse me, and I apologize for the rudeness but I am very curious – you're eyes . . . are they a family trait?" Falman asked.

Hawkeye looked ready to reprimand him when Hinata spoke up.

The girl's smile was gentle, as were her strange white eyes.

"It's not r-rude, my eyes are unusual so i-it's natural for you to be curious. Yes my eyes are a family t-trait, I inherited them from my father. They run in his family." Hinata explained.

"I've never heard of them before though." Falman said.

"We're p-pretty isolated and live away from cities, no surprise you haven't heard of us." That wasn't technically a lie – the Hyuga clan was isolated along with the Leaf Village behind the protective walls.

The door opened again and Al walked in, Hinata got the distinct impression of him being sullen.

"Alphonse?" She asked hesitantly.

Al looked up and said. "Hey Hinata, everyone. Are you guys getting along?"

"Well enough." Hawkeye answered and the boy nodded.

"Brother went to give his report, he won't be long." Al said to Hinata as he walked up to the group. His gaze settled on the puppy in Hinata's arms.

"Who is this?" He asked, his tone lighter.

Fuery, once again, launched into his explanation of how he acquired the puppy. Al, in return, shared how he had come across the cat now sleeping in his armor. The two stories were almost exactly alike, save for what kind of animal had been rescued.

Al took the puppy from Hinata's arms and the dog quickly awoke due to the cold metal of Al's armor. He regarded Al curiously, apparently not sure what to make of him but it was clear the pup was unafraid.

A sudden commotion could be heard outside the room and Hawkeye excused herself to investigate.

Al and Hinata looked at each other. What was that about?

 **xxx**

A few short hours later Hinata and Al were helping Ed look through the military records for an alchemic doctor Tim Marcoh but found nothing. Edward was stirred up into a rage.

"He's been erased from all the record books! Mustang clearly knows something and he's hiding it! I'll have to beat it out of him!" Ed growled.

"Ed, please think a-about what you're saying!" Hinata interjected.

"She's right, you couldn't get away with a fight!" Al added. A sudden meow from his armor snapped Ed out of his rant and he narrowed his eyes at Al.

As Al was put on the hot seat Hinata turned towards the sound of the door opening and saw a man possessing black spiky hair with a forelock of it handing over his forehead, a scruffy chinstrap beard and glasses over hazel eyes walk in. He blinked when he saw her and the brothers, then recognition flashed in his eyes.

"Ah, you must be Hinata!" He said walking up to her. "I'm Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes, a friend of Ed and Al."

Though the rank flew over Hinata's head, she smiled, liking the warmth and friendliness in his voice, and said back politely. "Hello Mr. Hughes."

"So polite and respectful! Aren't you adorable?!" Hughes gushed making Hinata blink. His personality had turned so suddenly it left her dazed.

"Ah yes, let me show you my family!" Suddenly there was a dozen pictures being forced into her hands. A couple were family snapshots with Hughes holding a woman and little girl who were most likely his wife and daughter respectively. They both had light brown hair and green eyes; Mrs. Hughes' hair was cropped short while the little girl's hair was done up in short pigtails on either side of her head. The remaining photos were all of the little girl doing various activities; dancing in a girly dress, riding a tricycle, having a tea party with her stuffed animals, and much more.

"My wife Gracia and our daughter Elicia who just turned three! Isn't she just the cutest thing you ever did see?" Hughes said proudly. "And guess what, guess what! My Gracia is pregnant with another girl – soon I'll have two adorable daughters to brag about. My sweet Elicia is going to be a big sister!"

"C-congratulations!" Hinata squeaked, becoming overwhelmed. Thankfully Al stepped in when he saw her predicament.

"I didn't know Gracia was pregnant, congratulations Major." Al said.

"Lieutenant Colonel!" Hughes corrected. "And thanks, truth be told we found out about the baby pretty late in the pregnancy. I'm in a frenzy getting the nursey ready! Only the best will do for my newest little angel after all!"

Al nodded. "Of course, um, did you come here to tell us something?"

"Oh yes, I came here to talk to Ed! I forgot what with the photos and –"

Ed looked over his shoulder at the man, giving him the stink eye as he growled out. "Get to the point!"

Hughes jumped, he wasn't the only one spooked though as Hinata scooted a bit back from her friend and Al just sighed.

Hughes explained that due to "conditions" Ed's assessments would be held here, at Eastern Command.

Hinata perked up, remembering the Elrics mentioning the Assessment Exams.

It was held yearly for State Alchemist to renew their certification in order to evaluate whether or not they should be allowed to keep their special privileges and rank in the military.

In other words, if a State Alchemist did not meet expectations they could be stripped of their certification and no longer be a State Alchemist.

Hinata did not like the wicked gleam that had suddenly appeared in Ed's eyes, and she had a feeling Al shared her sentiment.

"I've got the perfect idea Major!" Ed said eagerly, jumping to his feet and up to Hughes.

The man immediately corrected Ed about using his old rank but Ed brushed it off.

"Seriously Hughes, I know the perfect way to show off my skills!" Ed said before turning to Al and Hinata, adding. "Right?"

"Oh no . . ." Al moaned as his brother's grin widened with anticipation.

 **xxx**

When the sky cleared up and transformed from stormy gray to a perfect baby blue Ed and Mustang met up on the parade grounds, ready to begin their match.

They had an audience, many of the military personal were standing on the sidelines, ready for some entertainment. Even the leader of Amestris, Fuhrer King Bradley was present with his secretary and many State Alchemist from Central Command surrounding him.

Hinata looked at the many pocket watches that were carried by all State Alchemist dangling from the pockets of those surrounding the table Bradley was sitting at. She had heard that all of Central Command – the central branch and hub of the military – had come to East City all of a sudden. Rumor had it that there was a sinister reason for their intrusion and all the State Alchemist were here out of fear.

That was the rumor anyway.

She stood next to Al, holding the kitten he'd been keeping inside his armor. Its fur was coal black and the feline's gold eyes seemed to look right through her.

The first thought to cross Hinata's mind was that this cat wasn't ordinary by a longshot, but now was not the time to address it with the brothers.

Hughes, holding a microphone called for the crowd's attention in the center of the parade and pulled off the tarp of something huge that stood behind him. It was a photo of his daughter that was easily three times his height, hugging a stuffed teddy bear that was just as big as herself.

"Isn't she adorable?!" Hughes cheered.

The military personal responded by throwing things at the man until the huge portrait was accidently tipped over by the projectiles and landed on him.

Hinata winced.

After Hughes was patched up he didn't waste any more time and introduced the two State Alchemist that would be fighting each other.

"In the red corner we have the Flame Alchemist and Hero of the Eastern Rebellion; Colonel Roy Mustang!"

Roy Mustang – a handsome man with pitch black hair, dark eyes, and in possession of a smooth, pale face - was on the receiving end of boos from the soldiers. Among the shouts Hinata could make out "You just want a promotion!" and "Give me back my girlfriend!"

Mustang was flanked by Hawkeye and Falman, all three did not look the least bit surprised by Mustang's reception.

"And in the blue corner the Fullmetal Alchemist and living legend of the people; let's hear it for Edward Elric!"

Al and Hinata stood on either side of Ed who received snide remarks about his height and clear sentiments that the audience didn't expect him to last long against Mustang.

Ed's temper flared at the height comments and Al had to hold him back from attacking the crowd.

"Calm down." Al coaxed.

"You're right Al, today is gonna be a great day. The day I kick Mustang's ass in front of the whole army and get some damn respect!" Ed panted, clearly still angry and frustrated.

"Brother, we're indebted to him." Al reminded in a low voice.

Hinata looked between them, interested. She knew that Mustang had been the one to help get Ed into the military despite his young age at the time but was unaware of the specific details.

"He's asked for it!" Ed protested. "Saying he knows every move we make, acting like he let our secret out, and keeping information from us!"

"So, what's your plan?" Al asked after a moment.

"I told you, a fist to his face!" Ed shouted, Hinata winced at the volume of his voice.

"B-be careful." She said. "And try not t-to let him provoke you. F-from what I've heard he'll p-probably try to use your t-temper against you using i-insults."

"She's right Brother." Al said.

"Yeah I know. " Ed said, and then, because he knew she just worried added. "Thanks Hinata."

The girl smiled, not expecting it.

A few minutes later Hinata stood with Al in the audience, ready to watch the assessment begin.

"This assessment doesn't mean anything to me." She heard Ed say to Mustang. "If I win you're going to tell me everything you know about Marco, and don't forget you'll have a new cat."

Mustang just smiled as Hinata felt a twinge in her gut – she didn't feel right leaving the cat with Mustang. It wasn't that she thought the man would be a bad owner but something inside her was whispering that the cat belonged with her.

It certainly looked content to stay in Hinata's arms.

"Alchemist get set . . .!" Hughes shouted, trailing off as he took a deep breath . . . before promptly turning tail and running away like his life depended on it, much to Ed's surprise.

"READY AND FIGHT!" Hughes screamed. Mustang took advantage of Ed's surprise and quickly snapped his gloved fingers.

Sparks shot out of the glove and the air exploded with a flash of fire that sent Ed flying.

Hinata felt her jaw drop.

"Amazing." She breathed as Ed frantically tried to put some distance between himself and the colonel.

She heard the smile in Al's voice as he explained to her how Mustang's alchemy worked. The gloves were made from ignition cloth that created a spark when Mustang snapped his fingers. All the man had to do then was change the oxygen density in the air and he got bombs on command.

Hinata noted the transmutation circle sewed onto the glove and how the Flame Alchemist kept his left hand in his pocket. Was he showing off or was this a strategic move? Maybe a combination of both, which was honestly quite likely.

Ed was forced to run into crowd to escape Mustang's fire and actually jumped over Fuery's head in his haste. The men in close proximity to where Ed had jumped into the crowd immediately looked nervous.

"I guess I can't torch you all." Mustang commented, and then added. "This is hard, he's such a small target!"

"Don't call me small!" Ed shouted, giving away his position. The men around him flinched away from the loudness of his voice.

"If your enemy is of claret temper, seek to irritate and never fall for the taunts of the enemy." Mustang lecture smoothly, he snapped his fingers, sending Ed and most of the men surrounding him soaring into the sky. The young Hyuga and Alphonse were forced to back away.

Hinata cringed when she saw the destruction and the soldiers that had ended up as collateral damage.

"Oh Ed." Al sighed.

Mustang went after Ed again, surrounded by the smoke of his blast. He fell for a dummy Ed had given his jacket to and fashioned to resemble him somewhat. Just as Mustang realized the trick Ed took the advantage and tore the transmutation circle on the colonel's glove. Now he couldn't make flames.

"Cheap shot!" Ed called out tauntingly as he transmuted a huge cannon that easily towered over Mustang.

"I-isn't that a little o-overboard?!" Hinata squeaked. First Mustang with the audience and now Ed with this? Was taking things to an excessive level a required trait among State Alchemist?

"Brother can get carried away." Al said sheepishly.

Hinata frowned, and then added. "B-but what about the other hand Mustang's been k-keeping in his pocket?"

"Huh?" Al said, sounding stunned. Apparently he hadn't noticed.

Sure enough Mustang just smirked at his protégé and pulled out his left hand from his pocket – it too had a glove over it with the transmutation circle stitched onto the surface.

Ed panicked, realizing he'd miscalculated, as Mustang snapped his fingers and destroyed the cannon with embarrassing ease.

"All war is deception, think your enemy has a weakness and it becomes his strength. Remember that." Mustang lectured smugly as he walked up to where Ed had fallen.

"Just do it." Ed growled.

"Alright, you don't have to ask." Mustang said and moved to snap his fingers, but he froze. Hinata saw a glazed look settled in his eyes and it was clear to her that Mustang's mind was far away.

Concerned, Hinata took in the colonel's expression and saw it was one of great grief, anguish . . . and guilt.

Ed took the opening and transmuted his auto-mail arm into a blade, he lunged forward; not stopping until the tip was an inch away from Mustang's throat.

It was silent for a few moments before the Fuhrer walked up to the pair, easily navigating the rubble and debris that were once the parade grounds. His secretary and a man that Hinata quickly spotted with a State Alchemist pocket watch were right at his heels.

"An excellent fight by two skilled alchemist!" Bradley praised.

Mustang immediately came back to reality and saluted his superior, saying he and Fullmetal were honored by his complement.

Ed on the other hand . . .

"Don't stop, we aren't finished!" He protested.

Bradley acknowledged that, but also added if he allowed them to continue it would be harder for Flame and Fullmetal to fix the parade ground on their own. Hinata looked around, the parade was in pretty bad shape with chunks of the ground having been heaved up during the fight and tossed around randomly, there was rubble area. Also, as a result of Mustang's attack, there were some soldiers among the rubble that had landed there after the colonel's fire attack had sent them flying along with Ed.

 **xxx**

The sun was setting, dying everything a shade of deep orange and yellow as Hinata, Al and Hawkeye watched Mustang and Ed fix the parade grounds.

As they cleaned Ed confronted Mustang about why the older man had frozen when he was on the verge of winning.

Mustang answered the question in a roundabout way, mentioning and event called the Eastern Rebellion. It was when the people of Ishbal rebelled against the military – Mustang said he saw his share of terrible things.

Then he talked about Marcoh.

"Tim Marcoh, the deserter, was the smartest among us. I still think so, even now." He admitted, sitting on a piece of rubble.

"Is that why you kept quiet, out of respect?" Ed asked.

"Maybe I was wrong not to tell you. You should pay him a visit so you'll know yourself."

"He's alive?" Ed asked, his eyes wide.

Mustang smiled, and looking at his protégé over his shoulder, nodded a confirmation.

Ed smiled with gratitude and told Mustang he didn't need to say why he had frozen up like that.

The men didn't finish until it was already dark out, Hinata had excused herself earlier to go to the restroom and on the way back picked up something for them to eat.

Hawkeye saw the containers in her hand and Hinata handed one to her, mumbling that she figured everyone would be hungry by now.

Hawkeye smiled and accepted the food.

When Mustang and Ed approached – the former yawning loudly – Hinata offered the food to them as well. Ed, starving, immediately thanked her and took the container she held out. The food was nothing special, just sandwiches, but Ed acted like it was among the best food he'd ever tasted.

When Hinata handed Mustang his he regarded her for a moment. This was the first time they had been properly introduced after all.

"This is Hinata, she's going to be traveling with Brother and me for a bit." Al explained to the colonel. He was holding the cat again, which was watching the on goings lazily with one eye opened.

"I know, Fullmetal explained everything – and I got information someone new was traveling with you and Fullmetal." Mustang said simply and he smiled at the girl. "Thanks for the food."

Hinata smiled back.

 **XXX**

"I hope the cat will be okay." Al said.

"M-me too." Hinata mumbled, feeling like she should go back and retrieve the cat from where they'd left it in a stroller Ed had transmuted.

Since Mustang had provided them with all the information regarding Marcoh it seemed unfair to make him keep the cat, so they left it at someone's doorstep in a fancy stroller.

The three were currently heading to the train station to catch the next one out of East City, it was dark out so there weren't many people out on the streets. Hinata adjusted the left strap of her backpack as she wondered why the cat felt so important. Was it one of those things that just happened, like instantly creating a connection?

They reached the train minutes before it left and quickly settled down in their seats; Hinata sat on her own, next to the window with the Elric brothers across from her.

In what was turning into an ordinary occurrence for the trio the train cart they picked out was almost completely empty, leaving everything blissfully quiet, Hinata was just dozing off when she heard Ed curse.

"What the hell?"

Rubbing at her eyes Hinata sat up.

"W-what's wrong Ed?" She asked. He was staring at the floor right next to her foot so she looked down.

It was the cat.

"How did he follow us?!" Ed demanded as Hinata bent forward and scooped the cat into her arms, admittedly relieved.

"I don't know, but I think we're stuck with him Brother. Well, at least Hinata is." Al commented cheerfully.

Ed sighed.

"D-don't worry, this cat looks awfully intelligent. I-I'll train him myself." Hinata promised.

"Guess we got no choice." Ed gave in, a resigned look on his face.

"So, what are you going to name him?" Al asked Hinata as the cat fell asleep in her arms.

"Ryoga." Hinata said immediately.

"Ryoga." Al repeated, silently thinking that name sounded just as foreign as Hinata's did.

"Among other things it means "fighting fang" and the like. I-I don't know why but I feel like it suits him." Hinata explained.

"Okay, then, Ryoga it is." Al said.

The cat purred in his sleep, as if giving the name his approval.

* * *

 **Hope you all enjoyed this! Please leave lots of reviews!**

 **Sign**

 _ **Snowlily246**_


	11. The Doctor

**Hope you all enjoy this!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or the Naruto series nor do I own the characters of each respective anime. I own only Ryoga, I also created the character that serves as Hinata's mom in this story.**

* * *

Chapter 11

The group reached the town Mustang had directed them to by morning, and after stopping at a café to eat and ask their waiter some general questions about the town they walked around asking about Marcoh.

Ryoga walked besides his new mistress without wandering away or causing fuss. Hinata had put a cord necklace around his neck earlier, with a dark, amber colored stone hanging from it. The effect was quite pleasant and Ryoga certainly gave the impression he liked the new accessory.

While the only doctor in town was a Dr. Maruo, the descriptions all the people who he'd treated gave about their recovery hinted at alchemy being behind the treatments. One little girl in particular said that there was a "big flash of light" when Maruo healed her.

"It's Marcoh alright." Ed said as they walked away.

"But he's a fugitive, why would he draw attention by becoming a miracle performing doctor?" Al asked rhetorically.

"M-maybe he just wanted to do some good with the Stone." Hinata suggested.

"Maybe –. " Al cut was cut off when Ed shoved him and Hinata into a nearby hill of straw to hide. Ryoga's ears twitched, and he simply jumped in after them.

"What was that for?!" Al demanded, annoyed. Hinata had landed awkwardly in front of him and tried to adjust her position.

Ed didn't answer and Al started to complain that he was getting filled with straw but his brother shushed him.

"Look." He whispered. Al and Hinata peeked from their hiding place, the latter careful not to lean on the cat that was perched near her knee.

A big man in coat and cap that Hinata recognized as what some military personal wore was nearby, he took off his cap and looked around. The man possessed blue eyes, a blonde mustache, and a single lock of blonde hair on his head which was otherwise bald.

"Who is he?" Al asked.

Ed explained that the man was a State Alchemist that had arrived with the Fuhrer from Central Command, he'd seen him at HQ when the Central Forces had barged into Mustang's office to inform him of their takeover.

"H-he must be following us." Hinata said, frowning worriedly. Ed nodded.

"There's no other explanation – after all Mustang said he's never told anyone in the military about Marcoh's location." The Fullmetal Alchemist muttered.

The State Alchemist finally put his cap back on and walked back the way he'd came, probably to look for them elsewhere. When he was out of sight Ed jumped out of the straw stack, followed by Hinata who patted at her hair and clothes to get rid of the straw clinging to it. Al was in worse shape since straw had gotten into his armor.

"We'd better head straight to Marcoh's." Ed decided.

And so they went.

 **XXX**

Their reception, in hindsight, wasn't all that surprising.

Hinata hugged Ryoga close to her, shielded by Al who had immediately dove in front of her. As soon as Ed had identified himself as a State Alchemist Marcoh had fired the gun at him – thankfully the boy had dodged – as well as Al. The doctor thankfully missed the younger Elric too.

"Easy Doc, we don't want trouble." Ed said, trying to calm the clearly desperate and terrified man.

Marcoh was an older man, his black hair streaked gray at the temples with creases the came from age (and stress) around his mouth. His hazel eyes were wide and had a wild terror to them. Hinata put his age at about mid to late fifties.

"I know why you're here – you think you can take me back but I won't. The orders, the experiments – I couldn't take it!" Marcoh babbled.

"No, no. You misunderstood. Just hear us out!" Ed pleaded.

"Put the gun down." Al said, his voice even and steady. He walked up to the terrified doctor.

Hinata watched him, worrying her bottom lip as Ryoga began to settle down, having been put off by the gunshots.

"Or do you want to silent me? You think I'll just die without a fight?!" Marcoh demanded but became choked with fear when Al got right up front to the doctor's person.

"It's okay, shoot me if you want but I won't die. You're the only one who might get hurt." Al said and purposefully banged his armor against the gun, letting the hollow sound tell Marcoh the truth.

"I see, you're him." Marcoh said, calming down and lowering his gun slightly. "The Fullmetal Alchemist."

Hinata smiled weakly when Ed shoved Al aside, very irritated, and corrected Marcoh. She walked to Ed's side, coming into view for the first time, Marcoh saw her and jumped a little, staring at her with shock. His eyes drifted to the gem hanging around her neck and his face paled.

"Please doctor," Al said. "We just want to talk."

But Marcoh wasn't listening, he kept staring at Hinata, making the girl uncomfortable.

"You're face, that necklace." He muttered. "I know them . . . you look so much like her too. But it couldn't be . . ."

Hinata felt herself tense, and slowly, took a step forward, staring at the doctor. Could the "her" he mentioned be her mother? Hinata had to make sure – it was a longshot but . . .

"I-if you're talking about Himiko then it can be possible, I-I'm her daughter." Hinata said with minimal stuttering.

Marcoh took in a deep breath.

"Himiko's daughter?" He repeated, staring at her. "Yes – if not for the eyes you'd be twins, and that necklace is proof enough on its own." The doctor looked around before stepping aside. "Come in, come in."

Ed and Al, who had been ignored for the last few moments, looked at each other before following Hinata inside Marcoh's place.

The single room was simple and had simple furnishings – there was a bed to the left but whether it was for Marcoh or his patients was unclear – a huge cabinet with shelves bearing numerous toxins and medicine was against the opposite wall. There was also crates, likely holding medicine or other equipment against the wall across from them.

There was a table in the center of the room with a chair at either end, Ed took one for himself while Hinata and Al sat on the bed. Ryoga went over to the window and stared at the sprawling country land outside.

Marcoh took the remaining seat, but his body was turned to face Hinata.

"I never expected Himiko would have a child, she never seemed like the type to settle down." He commented. "Dear God, you're nearly the spitting image of her."

Hinata smiled shyly.

"Mama was a v-vivacious person, there was s-so much energy in everything she d-did. Father had a c-calming effect on her personality . . .I-I have his eyes."

At least that was how she remembered her parents' relationship. Since Himiko had died when Hinata was quite young the girl's memory of her mother was foggy at times.

"H-how do you know my mother?" Hinata added.

Marcoh's expression sagged a little.

"Himiko was an accomplished alchemist – more than talented enough to get a State Certification - but she always laughed when people suggested it. Himiko was a free spirit and never liked being told what to do – she never could have tolerated the leash put on dogs of the military." He said, dancing around Hinata's question before sighing.

"I know your mother, my dear, because I was her teacher in alchemy." He confessed abruptly.

Hinata's eyes widened. She heard Al gasp beside her and Ed's sharp intake of breath but was too focused on Marcoh to pay them any mind.

"She was only fourteen when I stumbled across her by chance – the girl was brimming with talent. Her parents had already been searching for a skilled alchemist to teach her when I approached them." Marcoh continued.

 _'My grandparents.'_ Hinata thought, her insides doing a little jig of joy. The girl had always been curious about her mother's side of the family and now was her chance to get some information.

"W-what were their names?" She asked.

Marcoh, lost in memories, did not question why Hinata didn't know the names of her maternal grandparents.

"Yoshi and Mila Yamazaki, your grandfather came from a distant country, I believe, which is why his name was foreign. In any case I taught Himiko and helped her reach her full potential, her specialty was water alchemy – she could manipulate it to such a degree that it could have been a part of her."

That last part got Ed's attention but he respectfully stood quiet.

"She studied under me for three years, before her parents died unexpectedly. She left to bury them and that was the last I saw of her for several years. I heard she traveled all over the world, helping people and getting into trouble. I saw Himiko one last time, a few short years before the war in Ishbal broke out. She made it very clear that she was worried about the growing hostility between Amestris and Ishbal since she had friends in the latter." Marcoh sighed. "Himiko told me she was going over there to check on them – and that was the last anyone heard from her. I heard rumors that she'd been killed, but a body was ever found."

Hinata sat back, digesting the information, and then said softly.

"Mama lived. But she eventually died when I was nearly four. She just got sick and couldn't get better, or at least that was what my nurse told me."

"I see." Marcoh said, his shoulders sagging.

It was very quiet for a few minutes – everyone was lost in their own thoughts.

 _'He says Grandfather and Grandmother died – did Mama not tell him they had been killed? Maybe she didn't want to get him involved.'_ Hinata thought to herself.

"I-is it possible to find the friends my mother w-wanted to check on are still alive?" She asked. If possible she wanted to trace her mother's last steps in Amestris, it could be a big help to tracking down the killer.

Maroch flinched.

"That's very unlikely. Most, if not all, of them are probably dead. The friends Himiko referred to were Ishbalans." He said wearily.

Oh.

Hinata's face fell as Marcoh sighed for the umpteenth time and tiredly rubbed his forehead with one hand, as if tending to a headache.

"That Eastern Rebellion massacre." He groaned. "Women, children, it didn't matter, everyone was killed. What's worse is that there wasn't even a reason – all the military would say is that the people of Ishbal spoke up and defied the system." He let out a bitter scoff. "I couldn't take it anymore and deserted the battlefield, when I left I took all of the research with me; their books, my notes. I have a suspicion that the military is still searching for them"

"That's it!" Ed exclaimed, getting up from his chair, hands braced on top of the table. There was a sort of desperate eagerness to his expression as he explained that Mustang had sent them and he was researching Human Transmutation.

Maroch flat out told him "No" saying that he had dirtied his hands on that research and would not allow any alchemist to take a look at it.

Hinata was getting worried. What was so horrible about the Stone that Marcoh kept referring to it like it was the devil's work?

As Ed sharply told Marcoh that he had a right to the research due to his status as a State Alchemist Ryoga rubbed his head against Hinata's arm, as if sensing her uneasiness. She smiled softly and petted the cat between the ears, earning a loud purr. She noted that her new pet didn't look the least bit ruffled or concerned about the argument going on between Ed and Marcoh.

"You're way too small to concern yourself with that." Marcoh said simply. Al quickly got to Ed and held his elder brother back as the doctor calmly continued; voicing his belief that Ed had simply been drawn into the Military by the monetary gain and research privileges.

That got Ed's attention and he wasted no time correcting the older alchemist.

"I know what we're doing is stupid, okay! But it isn't your problem!" Ed insisted.

Marcoh didn't look convinced but before Ed could speak again Al stopped him short.

"Doctor Maroch, a few years ago you treated some babies in Xenotime. I just want you to know that they're okay now. The Red Water is gone." Al said.

Marcoh looked away and Hinata frowned, rubbing at her temple as Ed suddenly left his seat and started to inspect the wall. She had been too absorbed in getting information about her mother to notice it but now that the young Hyuga had finished her conversation she became aware of a . . . presence.

That was the best word to describe it since Hinata couldn't find another word that could do so better. It wasn't like the Red Water, which made her feel faint and nauseous, no, this time it was more like a dull headache. The ache was accompanied by a feeling of discomfort – whatever it was that she was sensing Hinata didn't like it.

It felt wrong.

Hearing the sound of alchemy being performed Hinata looked up and saw that Ed had opened a hole in the wall, revealing a hiding place that Marcoh had used to store what was undoubtedly sensitive research.

Marcoh was understandably shocked at first when he saw Ed didn't need circles to transmute, but quickly became tense when Ed picked up a vial containing red liquid.

"Is this Red Water from Xenotime? No, it's much clearer." Ed muttered.

Hinata got up from where she had been sitting and walked over to them, Ryoga clutched in her arms – she knew the red liquid Ed was inspecting was the thing making her head ache.

"Stop!" Marcoh said frantically.

Al swooped in and picked Ed up from behind, lecturing him on how he couldn't just take whatever was in that vial. Edward, predictively, started to throw a tantrum of sorts, insisting that Maroch was on to something.

His shouting did not helped Hinata who was trying to concentrate on what she was sensing.

The most prominent thing about it was that feeling of wrongness, like whatever it was it shouldn't exist. This made Hinata want to avoid it, she had an instinctual feeling that whatever it was it would only bring suffering.

In the midst of his struggling the vial flew out of Ed's hand to land on the floor. The vial shattered, freeing its contents, the red substance quickly condensed and formed an oval shaped stone.

Hinata bit her lip, and kept her distance when the Elrics went to inspect it, deciding to take a look out the window. Her brow knitted with confusion when she saw the dark car, she didn't remember seeing it parked there when they came in. Was it a patient?

As her friends conversed with each other Hinata silently activated her Byakugan to get a look inside the van.

Three men dressed in military wear was inside the vehicle – and one of them she recognized as a State Alchemist that had stayed by the Fuhrer's side during Ed's assessment.

"Everyone!" Hinata said hurriedly, turning around. "We have to leave, there are military men o-outside!"

Ed looked up, alarmed, before yelping and scrambling backwards. Hinata was confused by his reaction until he spoke. Marcoh had also flinched back.

"What happened to your eyes?!" Ed squeaked

Al's reaction was more composed.

"I'm guessing that's the Byakugan . . ." Al said, getting to his feet and going over to stand beside her at the window.

Hinata nodded quickly, and allowed her blood-limit to deactivate, her white eyes returning to normal.

Ryoga watched Ed as the older Elric picked up the stone and recovered from his momentary shock.

"Alright then, we have to move." Ed said and looked at Marcoh.

The poor man was terrified, sweat shone on his brow and he looked a hair's breath away from a nervous breakdown.

"Brother, one of them is a State Alchemist! They're coming up the steps!" Al said, his voice alarmed. Hinata flinched internally, she had forgotten to mention that little detail.

Ed swore. There was no way they'd get out without being spotted now.

Then door the opened.

Hinata immediately focused on the State Alchemist who was flanked by a soldier on either side. Tall with a moustache and intimidating demeanor his gaze took in the room, settled on Maroch for a moment, and then finally rested on the Stone in Ed's hand.

"The Sage's Stone, the Celestial Stone, the Great Elixir, the Red Teacher, the Next Element . . . did you ever think that the substance of so many names would be found in the form of a Stone?" The man said, taking said Stone easily from Ed, who, for once, was too slow to react in time.

"B-brigadier Basque." Ed managed to get out.

Maroch seemed to regain some of his nerve and said. "Brigadier Basque? You've wormed your way up."

Ed stiffened as Basque turned his attention to Maroh, Hinata petted Ryoga to sooth the feline that had draped itself over her shoulders and was baring needle sharp teeth at the huge State Alchemist. Evidently, Ryoga did not view Basque as someone to be trifled with.

"You're damn right I have, Crystal Alchemist." Basque said. "And now you'll hand over the Philosopher's Stone and its research over to me."

Hinata's eyes widened as Ed and Al gasped softly.

"That thing is a Philosopher's Stone?" The older Elric questioned.

"An experimental leap at best, roulette at worst. There's no telling when it will reach its limit and backfire. Compared to the real Stone it's unstable and defective, but it did serve to amplify our abilities during the Rebellion and make us extremely powerful." Basque explained.

 _'The Rebellion . . . Ed and Al told me about that. It was used in Ishbal!'_ Hinata thought.

Marcoh's eyes were closed in shame.

"You the military hasn't just researched the Stone, it's actually tried to create it?" Al said, shocked.

"Never mind it wasn't perfect, it worked! That means the concept isn't flawed, the Stone can be created! Where are the design specs?!" Ed said in a rush, his eyes filled with desperate hope.

Basque curtly told Ed that the Stone fell under his jurisdiction and since it was so hugely classified he couldn't permit Ed access. The young State Alchemist stared at the ground with anger and frustration.

Hinata stiffened when she felt Basque's eyes land on her.

"As for you, young lady I can't permit you to walk away now that you've heard this much." His eyes narrowed. "You'll be coming along, I need to keep you from talking."

Hinata did not like the implications of his words and Ryoga let out warning hiss when Basque took a step toward his mistress.

"Wait, you can't do this!" Al said, stepping closer to Hinata.

"She has nothing to do with this, leave her be!" Ed demanded, stepped up to Basque.

"Step aside. Legally this girl doesn't exist, she has no rights and to be frank, being that she's Himiko's daughter I can't let her walk away. That woman's prowess in alchemy was unmatched in her lifetime, perhaps her daughter has inherited that same prodigious skill."

 _'He's going to experiment on me._ ' Hinata realized, feeling sick. He had the same eyes as the Cloud Ninja who had attempted to kidnap her when she was three years old – eyes that contained greed for the power in her blood.

Basque shoved Ed aside and reached over Al to grab her arm, the younger Elric made a move as if to stop him but Hinata put a hand on his forearm.

"Al, it's okay." She said gently. Ed and Al could not afford to disobey Basque, the consequences would be horrible for both. At best Ed might just lose his State Certification, and at worse . . .

No, she did not want to think about it.

Hinata untangled Ryoga from her shoulder with one hand and handed him to Al.

"Please take care of him."

"But –," Al said, trying to object as Basque let Hinata toward the door with a firm grip on her arm.

"Please, don't do this!" Marcoh begged as the two soldiers grabbed him and forcibly propelled him after Basque.

Hinata close her eyes as her mother's teacher shamelessly begged to be released. If things went well she might be able to escape later on, hopefully she could take Maroch with her . . .

They were taken to the black car outside Maroh's house, a small crowd of villagers whom Marcoh had treated, watched in dismay as he was forced into the car.

Basque slid Hinata in after him and then sat down next to her, she looked up in time to see Ed and Al watching from the top of the steps, Ryoga yowling with indignation and fury in the latter's arms.

As the car drove Hinata looked to Marcoh who was trembling, she reached out and placed a hand on top of his, the man had been holding his hands together and looked up at her. He seemed surprised.

Hinata smiled in what she hoped was an encouraging way.

Marcoh's trembling stopped, and he grasp her hand in his own, his eyes were closed and Hinata deduced that he was praying.

The car came to a sudden stop with a jerk and Hinata looked up, she was able to make out the figure of a man in front of the car before everything was engulfed in steam.

Hinata choked and coughed, the leather seat beneath her dissolving into nothing, and fell to the ground on her stomach. Blinking, the girl looked up and saw Ed and Al a few feet away, both frozen in their tracks. Ed was staring at something over her head so Hinata propped herself up on her hands and looked over her shoulder.

It was the man she had seen at the head of the car. He was on the tall side, with gray hair and brown skin. He wore shades that covered his eyes from view but she could make out the pale "X" shaped scar on his face. Basque was to her right and Marcoh to her left, both just coming around as the man approached the former.

The two soldiers who had been in the front of the car were nowhere to be seen.

The scarred man focused his attention on Basque, and started to take, slow, purposeful steps toward the State Alchemist.

Hinata watched, numb as Basque stood up with profound confidence to meet his opponent. The stone clutched tightly in one hand.

"Iron Blood Alchemist, Basque Gran." Scarred Man said simply as he came closer to his quarry.

 _'His intent to kill is all over the place.'_ Hinata thought, frightened and with good reason. Scarred Man reminded her of a jounin because of the calm, reassured posture of his body – he had experience in killing, and a lot of it.

"You're timing is horrible," Basque Gran said, his guard completely dismantled by arrogance and pride, as he held up the stone. "Just when I got my hands on one of these -,"

He never finished his sentence.

With breath taking speed Scarred Man lunged forward, and his palm struck the general's face with enough force to push him back, then Hinata saw the red light.

Ed had seen it too, Scarred Man was performing a transmutation.

"Get away!" Ed screamed but it was too late.

The red light traveled over the Scarred Man's tattooed arm and rushed into Basque's face. A moment later blood gushed out of the older man's mouth, ears, nose, and even the back of his head.

Hinata did not have to use her Byakugan to know that the strange, deadly, man had just made Gran's brain explode into bloody scraps. Being rather close to the gory scene some blood got on Hinata's face, though the girl was hardly aware of it.

The young Hyuga's time as a ninja may not have been very long, but it was enough for her to see a good share of death. Hinata was able to regain her focus faster than the Elric Brothers and quickly saw that Ed was in a state of shock. She realized that this must have been his time bearing witness to cold blooded murder.

Scarred Man looked at his right hand, which was smeared with the blood of his recent victim. He looked at Hinata for a moment, making her stiffen, then Ed who reacted the same way. But finally he locked his gaze on Marcoh.

"Crystal Alchemist Doctor Marcoh. I heard you were dead, I'll have to take special care in erasing you from this world . . . for you transgressions." Scarred Man commented stoically as he walked pass Hinata.

As she hurried to her feet she saw Marcoh's eyes widened at the killer, seeing something. Then he smiled sadly.

"I see then, go ahead. How can I protest?" He said

"In the name of the almighty one, thou shall perish . . ." Scarred Man said, his right hand quickly closing the distance from Marcoh's face.

Hinata started to take a step forward when Ed beat her to the punch and grabbed Marcoh's arm, pulling him away and down the street. This prompted Scarred Man to follow them, calling out that Ed would not escape death either.

She made a move to follow but then Al was at her side, Ryoga tucked in one arm.

"Come with me, I know where he's heading." Al said, grabbing her wrist with his free hand and tugged Hinata towards a side street.

As they ran, Al looked at her. Hinata felt his concern and had the feeling he was staring at the blood staining her face.

"Are you alright? That was a pretty awful thing to see, and you were so close to it. . ." He said hesitantly.

"I-I'll be alright, Al." Hinata assured him, and then added softly. "Thanks for asking, Alphonse."

He was pleasantly surprised at her last words, but then he noticed the tunnel entrance under the stone bridge and it was back to business.

"Here," He said, leading her down it. Hinata saw from the entrance in front of her that the street beyond was deserted. Al handed Ryoga back to her and drew a transmutation circle on the wall near the entrance.

Hinata's keen ears picked up Ed and Marcoh's labored breathing and she alerted Al. Moments later the younger Elric ushered his brother and the doctor inside before sealing the entrance off in order to hide.

Ed and Marcoh panted from their desperate run for life, and everything was calm for a moment before Hinata saw the first stream of red light.

"Move!" She shouted, and everyone backed away as the Scarred Man blew up the wall like it was nothing.

As their attacker advanced on them the three teens made one last desperate effort to run away, Al picking up Maroch, but the killer easily blocked the exit by using his alchemy to cave it in with debris.

 _'So, its fight or die then.'_ Hinata thought to herself, worried.

Their prospects for survival did not look good.

* * *

 **Hope you liked it!**

 **Sign**

 _ **Snowlily246**_


	12. The Chase

**Hope you all enjoy this - and get ready to see Hinata in action!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or the Naruto series, nor their respective characters. The only characters I own are Ryoga and the OC I created to be Hinata's mother in this story.**

* * *

Chapter 12

The Scarred Man having blocked the only other exit, Ed angrily turned and demanded to know why the man was trying to kill him and Marcoh.

"If you're the creators of this society, there must also be destroyers." Scarred Man said cryptically.

Maroch had been put back on his feet by Al and took a step forward, pleading for Ed to leave him behind, claiming the boy did not understand.

Ed ignored him and transmuted a fighting dagger from a metal pole, Al took a fighting stance and Hinata slipped into a basic Gentle Fist stance. She refrained from activating her Byakugan though, wanting to take Scarred Man by surprise.

The Scarred Man looked at Ed, and commented on the older Elric's eyes, stating they were strong, just as his own older brother's eyes had been. Eyes that gazed into the distance, as if seeing something others couldn't.

"It was three years ago, yes. I was glad to hear that you'd given up your State Alchemist license so I could take you off my list. But now . . ." The man trailed off as Hinata glanced at Ed out of the corner of her eye, he had met this man before?

"Yup, too bad." Ed agreed dryly, and lunged forward. But he was too slow and Scarred Man easily out maneuvered him. Al, seeing this, got in between hisbrother and the murderer before Ed suffered the same fate as Grand.

Hinata breathed a sigh of relief, Al's arm was severely dented, but it was nothing that couldn't be fixed. Ed, meanwhile, was unharmed.

"Al!" He cried out, sitting up from where he landed.

Scarred Man straightened up, and spoke. "Don't mistake your good fortune, that alchemy was designed for human flesh, that's why you escaped with just a dent. For the last time, stay out of this. My only enemies are State Alchemist and those who stand between."

When Ed once more demanded an explanation for why Scarred Man was attacking them Scarred Man said that he was acting as an agent of God, to punish alchemist for claiming they had a better design.

Marcoh sighed quietly in the background behind Hinata.

Al then stepped forward, saying that while he didn't have a State Certification he was still an alchemist.

"Why do you seek death?" Scarred Man said abruptly, interrupting the younger Elric mid-sentence.

"I don't," Alphonse said evenly, "But you mentioned that you had an older brother. Then you should understand, why I can't just stand aside and let my older brother get killed. Even you should –"

"I do understand." The killer interrupted again, his once stoic voice now trembling with anger. "I know exactly what it feels like to watch you brother get killed while you can't do a thing. In fact, maybe, I'll show Ed!"

He threw himself forward, his killing hand outstretched for Alphonse.

"Al!" Ed screamed, running toward them. The Scarred Man turned instantly, snagging Ed's right arm with his left hand, while his right moved to the teenager's Ed.

"No!" Al cried out, he started to step forward when something brushed past him and made the boy stumble. When he regained his balance Al saw that the Scarred Man had released Ed – though not of his own accord.

The Scarred Man was looking over his shoulder, stunned, staring at Hinata who had her Byakugan activated and the heel of her palm jammed against his right shoulder. She looked at the provident killer with grim determination.

"Stop this, please." Hinata begged quietly.

 _'My shoulder . . .'_ He thought. It flared with pain, threatening to paralyze his entire right arm if he abused it too much. His shock turned to anger . . . this girl dared to interfere!

He slapped her hand away and, ignoring his shoulder's protest, tried to grab her face with his right hand.

"Hinata!" Ed shouted.

"No, don't!" Marcoh begged frantically. "You don't know who she is!"

But Hinata was not in as much danger as her friends thought, swiftly the girl nimbly dodged under the man's arm and attempted to land another strike on his side. The Scarred Man saw it coming though, and leaned away in time.

 _'She's faster than Fullmetal.'_ He realized, a bit surprised.

Thus a deadly game began – both combats trying to grab the other to inflict damage that could maim their opponent. While all the Scarred Man needed to disable Hinata was one good hit he was put at a serious disadvantage by Hinata's Gentle Fist. Her style adapted at not only bringing devastating damage with minimal contact – meaning a mere brush of her fingers could result in horrible consequences – Hinata was able to redirect his attacks with relative ease.

The girl had never been more grateful for her father's grueling training regime – it was the main thing keeping her alive. She knew though, that she couldn't keep this fight going forever. The Scarred Man was likely to possess far more stamina than she herself did, and while Hinata could hold him off, she had doubts she could defeat him.

The brothers watched, unsure of how to step in and help, needless to say neither wanted to get caught in the crossfire between two combatants who could maim and kill opponents with a mere touch.

Eventually Hinata began to tire, and when she leaned backward to avoid a punch from her opponent's left hand, she saw his right one was trying to grab her stomach. Hinata let herself fall to the floor completely, making Scar stumble and trip over her. She braced her feet against his stomach, and with an extra burst of chakra fueled strength propelled him over her head.

While initially surprised, the Scarred Man was one who was able to think on his feet and used his hands to catch himself in a handstand before landing in a crouch and lunging for Hinata.

He was too close for her to dodge in time so Hinata reinforced her arm with chakra and put it in front of her to cushion what was likely to be a painful injury. She needn't have done it though – Ryoga had leaped over her head and grabbed onto the Scarred Man's arm with his sharp teeth and claws in order to protect his mistress.

The killer tossed the cat away, hissing in pain, and was forced back when Ed ran at him, his automail arm transmuted into a blade. He took a swipe at the killer in vain who looked surprised to see Ed's fake limb.

"An automail arm – so your right arm bequeaths nothing but destruction as well." He commented.

"Don't start with that crap! You and I are nothing alike!" Ed growled.

As this was happening Hinata got to her feet, winching slightly at the pains in her back as a result of falling on debris. Ryoga was quickly at her feet, meowing loudly, and Hinata smiled at her companion.

"Thank you, Ryoga." Hinata whispered.

Al and Maroch were then at her side, asking if she was okay. The girl reassured them that she was relatively unhurt.

The younger Elric looked at his brother who was just engaging the killer, and moved to step in when the debris blocking the exit behind them was destroyed with a flash of yellow light. Everyone froze and the fight between the killer and Ed came to a standstill.

Ryoga howled with fright and nearly clawed his way into Hinata's arms.

It was the blond State Alchemist Ed had spotted following them what felt like hours ago.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Ed demanded.

"Have you come for Marcoh?" Al asked, getting into a fighting stance. The man silently walked pass him and Maroch. He came to a stop and surveyed the scene, his eyes flickering over to Hinata who belatedly realized that not only was there blood on her face, some had gotten onto her shirt too. She also had some cuts from her scuffle with the Scarred Man.

The State Alchemist had reached Ed and placed a hand on his shoulder, much to the young man's surprise.

"I apologize for my lateness. The Lieutenant Colonel ordered me to follow you as protection." He said, his voice reminding Hinata of a gentle giant.

"What, Hughes did?" Ed asked.

Armstrong nodded and then looked at the killer.

"I overheard you as I was getting through the debris. You call yourself an agent of God? Then how about passing judgement on me? I'm Alex Louise Armstrong, the Strong Arm Alchemist!" The big man roared.

"What a righteous day this is turning out to be! That you would come here and save me the tribulations of tracking you down. Blessed God, full of grace." The Scarred Man said, grinning.

"Don't pray just yet." Armstrong warned, picking up a brick. "You're about to face the technique passed down the Armstrong line for generations. That's hardly a blessing!"

He threw the brick into the air and punched it with his gauntlet covered hand – it roared towards the enemy, engulfed in yellow energy.

Hinata quickly deactivated her blood limit before the powerful light blinded her. She watched the killer narrowly dodge the technique with awe until Al tugged at her arm.

"Let's go. The Major can handle him." Al whispered. She nodded and they followed Ed and Marcoh outside into the sunshine.

Once they were out, Marcoh collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily. Hinata took a deep breath of clean air and smiled with relief.

Ed abruptly held out the Stone toward Maroch, who looked at him with surprise. Hinata blinked, and realized that Ed must have grabbed the Stone when he was pulling Marcoh to safety.

"You dropped this." Ed said.

Maroch reached out and took it, before asking, "But isn't this what you're after? Didn't you think about taking it yourself and leaving?"

"Of course I did, and the younger me would have taken it without a second thought. But I can't forget the faces of the people we met today, and you used that in their treatments, didn't you? That Stone belongs to them, and so do you." Ed explained kindly.

Maroh looked at the Stone, his expression torn.

"Are you good?" Ed asked, when the doctor nodded he added. "Alright, then we have to find someplace where that killer and the military won't find us."

"You think we can escape?" The doctor asked.

"You have legs, don't you? Let's put them to work!" Ed said, grinning.

Al nodded in encouragement and Hinata smiled gently.

A smile came across the aged war veteran's face. He got to his feet and the group wasted no time making their way for the city.

 **XXX**

They managed to make it to a nearby town on the outskirts of East City. Hinata wiped the blood off her face and closed her jean jacket to cover the bloodstains on her shirt in order to avoid detection. She also donned a pair of sunglasses to hide her eyes.

Eventually, the group ended up in back alleys, near the poorer section of the city. As they walked, the Elric brothers brainstormed on how to smuggle Marcoh out from under the military's nose.

Hinata stayed quiet – she did have enough information on the land, nor know any people, to hide Marcoh. Ed and Al were better suited to find a hiding place for the doctor.

They came across a group of children playing in the ruins of what must have been some sort of playground. Hinata saw Ed smile at the scene of the children playing happily before continuing to walk away.

Hinata was about to follow him when she noticed Maroch had yet to move, he was staring at the children with a sad expression. Ed noticed the doctor's stillness too and asked what was wrong.

"I can't do it, I won't." Marcoh sighed. "Let him come, I don't care if that man kills me – it is something I deserve for what happened in Ishbal. I won't run away again."

"What about Ishbal? Why do you deserve death by his hands just because he's from there?" Ed demanded.

"It's about the rebellion, right?" Al asked. "Ed said that Mustang was sad about that too, but why? Ishbal started that war – yeah they lost lives, but so did the military."

"If we all took revenge for lives lost in war there would be no end to the cycle. It would go on forever." Ed muttered.

Hinata listened closely, she knew a bit about the Ishbal war, but it wasn't much. It had never even officially started until she was a child and her mother long dead so none of her books had any information on it.

"You're not listening." Marcoh said flatly. "That was not a war, it was a massacre."

He went on to explain how the Ishbalans differed greatly from Amestrians in terms of belief. Ishbalans thought of alchemy as heresy – taking one form and changing it into something else as trespassing into God's territory. To the people they saw the Amestrians pretending they were gods, putting themselves in the god, Ishbala's place.

As a result there was friction and small scuffles between Ishbal and Amestris, but nothing the Amestris soldiers deployed there could not handle – then, during a house inspection there was a horrible accident. A soldier accidently shot and killed an Ishbalan child – the aftermath resulted in riots and eventually a civil war broke out.

Marcoh fell silent, lost in thought as the children mulled over what he said. Hinata thought back to her birthplace – the Village Hidden in the Leaves, and more specifically the Hyuga Incident. Her uncle had given his life to maintain peace and protect his brother, her father. Hinata could not help the twinge of guilt that always accompanied her with memories of that incident, after all, it had been the kidnap attempt on her that sparked the tension.

Ryoga's purr in her ear made the ex-heiress snap back into reality.

Marcoh continued his story.

King Bradley eventually had enough of the casualties and ordered the State Alchemist to the battlefield to deal with the rebellion. Gran, had been put in charge of the soldiers already fighting there, then ordered Maroch to turn over the Philosopher Stones he had been developing. The doctor protested, and tried to reason with his superior but ultimately gave into the order. The State Alchemist, armed with a Stone, then went to all the places the resistance had been gathering.

"So, what happen? How did the Ishbalans respond?" Ed asked.

"They didn't." Marcoh said.

"What?" Al said. Hinata had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Every place the Ishbalans had been gathering, they were wiped out. Destroyed in a single night." Marcoh said dully.

A mortified silence followed his words, and it was quiet for a moment before a cry of pain drew their attention.

"Ah, my ankle!" One of the boys cried out. The children gathered around him, looking unsure of what to do. Marcoh hurried over and gently asked the child to let him see the injury. Using the Stone, the doctor healed the boy's ankle. The child, delighted, thanked him before he and his friends ran off, not questioning their luck.

"During the war there were doctors who would treat the wounded – it didn't matter if you were with Ishbal or the State, if you needed help, they would give you treatment. But, eventually, they became causalities too." His tone indicated that there was more to the doctors' deaths than what he was saying.

 _'Execution?'_ Hinata wondered grimly, it was not an impossibility.

Maroch went on, saying that after the doctors had died he'd taken his research on the Stones, all the samples, and information on how to create them. He lamented that his actions had been far too late, the Ishbalans were nearly been wiped out. Only a handful had been allowed to live by the military.

"Granted it is grim, but that isn't a reason to come after you?" Ed said.

"He wants revenge, what could be more legitimate?" Marcoh responded sadly.

"He punishing people who had nothing to do with Ishbal, how can you talk about legitimacy?" Ed muttered bitterly. "He's a fraud, on a tirade of personal vengeance and he's using his God's Will as an excuse and a way to claim its noble."

Al spoke up.

"Still Brother, if someone took you from me, I might go and do the same thing. Isn't that equivalent exchange?" He asked softly.

Hinata stared at Al, she couldn't picture him as a grief driven murderer going on a killing spree.

"No, that's not how it works! Haven't you learned that yet? Destroying lives doesn't bring them back! We've just got to live and be content while we can." Ed said. Then he walked over to his brother and started to repair the dent in his arm using alchemy.

"What do you think, Hinata?" Al asked, as his brother finished fixing him up.

Hinata had been deep in thought as they spoke, and now, said something her mother had made sure she never forgot.

"Death isn't an apology." She said simply.

Al made a little sound of surprise, and Ed looked stunned. Maroch smiled after a moment.

"Your mother said that too." He said simply.

"I know, it was something she made sure I never forgot." Hinata responded. "In my birthplace, my father's family had a tradition of joining the military. I was his eldest, and it was expected that I would succeeded him as head of the family. As such, it was also e-expected that I become a soldier. Mother made sure to instill in me from a very young age that, as a soldier, there were hardships I'd have to overcome. Pain, loss, revenge, and my place in the grand scheme of things among them."

Marcoh looked slightly surprised, he would have never expected his former student to marry a military man. She had possessed quite a bit of distain for the leash put on military dogs.

"Your family served in your military?" Al asked.

"Y-yes, for many generations. Our eyes, and the Gentle Fist style that comes with it, are highly valued in the village. My family was considered to be one of nobility, and the Hyuga Clan always lived up to our people's expectations."

There was a somewhat sad expression on her face as she said that.

Ed looked at her for a moment before his expression brightened and he turned to Marcoh. He offered to shield the doctor in his and Al's hometown, it was only three days away by train and they knew people there that would help.

Al commented that it might be "hard" going back for them, prompting Ed to laugh and dismiss his younger brother's concerns.

Marcoh smiled at the pair, but when Ed mentioned the Rockbells, family that held a long friendship with the Elrics, his expression changed into horrified shock.

"Doctor Marcoh, w-what's wrong?" Hinata asked, getting Ed and Al's attention.

"Rockbell? I can't go there." Marcoh said, backing away. "I can't! I'm sorry."

Then he ran.

The Ed and Hinata shared a stunned look before all three of the children ran after him, Ryoga draped across Hinata's shoulders.

They eventually caught up to him, and Ed tried to reassure Marcoh, thinking that the man assumed the boys were still after his research. The older Elric assured the doctor they the group wouldn't go anywhere the ex-State Alchemist didn't want to.

March shook his head.

"No Ed, there are . . . other reasons I can't go to your hometown." He said, not looking at them.

As he spoke Hinata turned her attention to the fire escape that was above a wall that closed off passage to the alley to their left. The girl could hear . . . something.

Turning towards the sound, Hinata held her hand up before her face, fingers forming the hand sign that would call on her Byakugan.

"Byakugan." She whispered, and the blood vessels at her temple became visible, and a pupil could be made out in her white eyes. Al noticed her activities.

"Is something wrong?" He asked. This made the doctor and Ed noticed Hinata's focused expression on the wall to their left. Her face changed, and she gasped, horrified.

Turning quickly she waved her arm out.

"Move, the s-scarred man is coming!" She shouted. Out of all the things that could have happened, why this? And the ironic thing was that the killer had only found them because he was running from the military.

The boys stiffened, and turned to Marcoh just as the killer was throwing himself over the fire escape, and wall, to land in the alley. He had lost his shades, so the surprise in his red eyes was visible to all.

Between them and Maroch.

 _'No!'_ Hinata thought, as it started to rain again.

The Scarred Man immediately made a move for Marcoh but Al reacted quickly and grabbed the man's right arm, the one he used to kill to murder his victims.

But this time, the Scarred Man was ready for him.

He quickly retaliated with alchemy that almost tore Alphonse in half, destroying part of the boy's torso and his left leg.

He fell to the ground as Ed cried out to him.

Hinata, knowing Al was alright because she could see the bright light of his soul, forced her attention on the killer, just as Ed engaged him in combat. However the young State Alchemist was easily defeated, and worse, the Scarred Man destroyed Ed's automail arm, leaving him unable to transmute.

Knowing then that it was up to her Hinata dived in just as Ed's automail was destroyed, and aimed a strike at the killer's stomach.

It landed, and the man hissed with pain, jumping backwards as Hinata quickly maneuvered herself in front of Ed who had fallen to the ground. Ryoga, without being told, had silently slipped from his mistress' shoulders so she could fight unrestricted.

The killer regarded her in silence as she slipped into the Gentle Fist stance.

"I will give you one chance girl, step aside. This does not concern you." He said.

"You're trying to kill my friends. That makes it my concern." Hinata responded.

"Hinata, just go and get out of here!" Ed said, sitting up. "You don't have to do this!"

"I know." Hinata said. It was strange, she should be terrified out of her mind, but instead a serene calm had settled over her heart and body. Maybe she was a failure as a Hyuga as far as her father was concerned, but Hinata knew at that moment that it was irrelevant.

Her father did not matter, let alone his opinion.

Her new friends were in danger, they could not defend themselves and as the only one left who could fight Hinata had to take a stand and hold out as long as she could. The young Hyuga knew the military – Roy Mustang in particular - was very close and making their way to this very location. All Hinata had to do was hold out till they came, and if she didn't . . . well, death did not scare her.

And it would be worth it, if her friends lived. As far as regrets went, her main one would have been failing to fulfill the mission her mother left her. But the girl knew Himiko would understand, she would have done the same thing in her daughter's situation.

"Don't be an idiot!" Ed shouted, sounding hysterical. "HE'LL KILL YOU!"

 _'Not if I kill him first.'_ Hinata thought grimly. In her short career she had taken two lives – one in defense of her own life, and another to protect her teammates. Despite the necessity of it, the memory of the kills haunted Hinata in her dreams – but she also knew she would do it again if she had to.

And if she had to kill this fellow killer then so be it. Hinata could live with the sin.

Instead of voicing her thoughts Hinata said simply. "I know."

The scarred man said nothing, he could see the resolve in her stance, and knew that she would not leave.

The Scarred Man lunged forward and Hinata did too.

Using the slickness of the wet ground to her advantage Hinata dropped to her knees and allowed herself to slide under the killer's arm, surprising him. He spun around and backed away before she could strike at him and tried to kick her. Hinata nimbly avoided the blow, but lost her sunglasses in the process.

Her eyes now exposed, Hinata blinked once, and the battle went on.

Another precious minute into the fight, Hinata was cornered.

She had just landed a strike on Scar's side and he flinched away from her, when he suddenly turned the tables on his opponent. Using the same move Hinata had carried out in the tunnel he allowed his body to drop completely and used her momentary pause to destroy the ground underneath her.

Stunned for a moment, Hinata quickly leaped into the air and stuck her feet to the wall of the nearby building.

The Elrics and Maroch were dumbfounded, but Scar did not let his shock deter him and he wasted no time in using his alchemy to destroy the wall too. Hearing cries of shock from the unfortunate residents who saw their wall collapsing, Hinata tried to jump clear of the debris.

She almost made it, when Scar suddenly appeared in front of her and kicked the girl back into the path of the descending rubble.

"Hinata!" Al cried out, as she was lost from view.

Once the flow ceased, Scar walked over to the pile of rubble and reached inside, he pulled Hinata's limp form by the collar of her jacket out of the debris. She was in a sorry shape; her clothes and skin were coated with dirt and grime, the rain smearing it across her face. Blood tricked from Hinata's forehead, mouth and nose. An ugly bruise was visible under her right eye.

The killer pulled back his free hand - the right one. He had pulled up his jacket sleeve down and the tattoos around the arm started to glow an ominous red.

"No! Don't do it!" Al begged.

"Damn it she's only twelve!" Ed screamed.

"I warned her, and she stepped up to defend you anyway. She knew what the consequences would be if she lost." The killer stated stoically.

"Back in the tunnel, you said you had an older brother, right?!" Ed shouted desperately.

This made the killer pause, he looked at Ed, his red eyes observing the boy.

"Yes, he was killed by a State Alchemist."

"Well, I'm a State Alchemist, and I'm the older brother. My life should be enough." Ed said.

"Brother! No, what are you doing?!" Al shouted.

"Be quiet Alphonse!" Ed ordered, before continuing. "She isn't a State Alchemist, she doesn't even practice alchemy. And my brother doesn't have a State Certification either. Hinata was just looking out for her friends, I'm sure you can get that."

The man remained silent, but brought his right arm down.

Encouraged, Ed said. "It's Equivalent Exchange, isn't it? My life for your older brother's?"

"No Ed! You said it yourself, a life for a life isn't equivalency!" Al shrieked.

"I said be quiet! It's what fair!" Ed snapped. He turned to the killer.

"I should be enough."

It was quiet for a few moments, and the killer turned his attention to Hinata. It looked like he was thinking. Ed held his breath and waited, taking reassurance in the rise and fall of her chest that signaled life.

"You should listen to your brother Fullmetal. A life for a life will never be a fair exchange! Nothing in this world will make the loss of my brother and my people bearable, nothing!"

His grip on the collar of Hinata's jacket tightened. He turned to Ed, his red eyes filled with rage, sorrow, and regret.

"Then why are you killing all these people?" Ed asked, quiet anger in his voice. His words seemed to make up the Scarred Man's mind. He held up Hinata in front of him and held back his killing hand.

"I'll show you what it's like to watch someone you care about be murdered before your very eyes – and what it feels like to be helpless to stop it! Only then will you understand my pain, only then, will you understand why I'm doing this!"

The man's passive calm was gone, replaced with rage fueled by old pain.

He was beyond reason.

"No!" Ed shouted, trying to stand, to get to his feet. This couldn't happen again – not another Nina, not another one they couldn't save!

"Don't do it!" Al pleaded to the killer.

But they were ignored.

Then Ryoga was suddenly on the man's shoulders, scratching at the killer's jacket to the sensitive skin underneath for all he was worth. The rain didn't seem to bother the feline at all as he yowled bloody murder.

The killer cried out in pain and annoyance, blood soaking the back of his jacket. He attempted to reach behind him to get at the cat with his right arm when his eyes widened.

Hinata was unceremoniously dropped to the ground, the fall didn't not wake her though her body stirred slightly before becoming still again.

The Scarred Man grabbed his right arm with his left hand, the tattoos were glowing red but apparently not by his choice. The black cat jumped off his shoulders to land on all fours in front of Hinata. The feline's fur was on end, stiff, and a loud, vicious hissed found its way pass his clenched teeth.

Ed turned and saw Marcoh holding the now glowing Stone in front of him.

"Idiot, you should have been long gone by now!" Ed snapped.

The doctor did not answer him, and instead spoke to the Scarred Man.

"I investigated some ancient text written by your people in Ishbal. I remember discovering the alchemic drawing that's tattooed on your arm. This may have flaws but it's still a Philospher's Stone and sure enough your arm is responding!" Marcoh said.

"Don't say it, you don't know a thing!" The killer shouted.

"It's a reaction." Ed said, the realization dawning on him. "Doctor, what's happening? Is there a different way to use the Stone?!"

Scarred Man lunged at Marco that very moment, but the aged doctor responded by throwing the Stone at his attacker.

It immediately hit the Scarred Man's right palm, and flashes of red light flickered as the killer yelled with pain. Everyone watched the Stone sink into the killer's palm.

The pain was apparently too much for him and made a run for the alley's exit – only to come face to face with Roy Mustang and his soldiers.

"Stand down Scar!" Mustang ordered.

Scar scowled at the soldiers before slamming his right palm onto the ground – it exploded, covering everything in smoke. When the air was clear everyone saw that Scar had blown himself a way into the sewer system.

 **XXX**

Hinata woke up feeling like a ton of bricks had fallen on her head and shoulders, through blurry eyes, she could make out that someone was holding her. The ground beneath was wet, and she could feel raindrops splattering on her face, so the Hyuga deduced that she was still in the alley.

Moaning, Hinata fully opened her eyes.

"Hey, guys! She's awake!" Fuery said, excitedly. Hinata realized that he was the one holding her.

Raising one hand she rubbed at her eyes, using rain water to get the dirt out of it and restore her vision.

It fully returned just as Ed walked over.

"Hey, you alright?" He asked.

"I - I'm alive, if that's what you mean." Hinata responded. She smiled weakly, and Ed returned it.

He suddenly became serious.

"You should have run, if it wasn't for Marcoh's quick thinking you'd be dead."

Hinata could see the hints of an old guilt in his face and thought for a moment.

"I don't abandon my friends." She said. "I couldn't l-live with myself if I left you two to die."

Ed sighed.

"Speaking of Marcoh, is he okay? And what about Al and Ryoga?"

"Everyone is alive, but Marcoh has been taken into the Fuhrer's custody." Ed said, looking tired.

Hinata closed her eyes, she knew there was nothing they could do for the old doctor now. Even so, it hurt.

"I see." She said softly.

"Miss Hinata, you need to stay awake, alright? Don't go back to sleep until we get you checked out." Fuery said urgently.

The girl nodded as Breda and Havoc brought in a stretcher. Hinata was placed on it and the two men lifted her up – though not before Ryoga made it clear he was coming along for the ride. She smiled reassuringly at Al when she passed him, and was then loaded into an ambulance, her cat snuggled at her side.

* * *

 **Hope you all enjoyed this! Please review!**

 **Sign**

 _ **Snowlily246**_


	13. Three Days

**Third Chapter in a ROW! I'm on a roll! Please enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist nor the Naruto series. I did not own any of the characters belong to each respective anime. The only characters I own so far are the Himiko, her parents, and Ryoga.**

* * *

Chapter 13

Hinata was given a throughout examination at the nearby hospital – she was concluded to have gained a concussion and a fractured rib, along with an assortment of cuts and bruises on her shoulders from the debris. There was a cut on her forehead that was pretty deep, and was stitched together. Overall Hinata knew she had escaped fairly unscathed from her encounter with "Scar" – which the military was dubbing the killer as – and was more or less content.

Once she had the opportunity the Hyuga resolved to treat her more serious injuries herself – Hinata knew she'd still need time to completely heal but at least the worst of her hurts could be addressed.

Hughes was waiting for Hinata when she came out of the hospital room, and needless to say the man seemed pretty unhappy to see her so battered. Nevertheless, he left it alone and was kind enough to drive her and Ryoga to Eastern Command where Ed and Al were waiting.

They ran into Mustang and Hawkeye right outside the room Hinata's friends were recovering in. It was silent for a moment as the two greeted Hughes and then noticed her, silently hiding half behind him. She smiled at them shyly as they took in her appearance, Ryoga clutched to her chest for comfort.

Mustang shook his head.

"Kid, you look like you've been through a meat grinder."

The look Hawkeye aimed at her superior told Hinata she was less than impressed with Mustang's choice of words.

"I know, but I-I'm alive – and so is Ed and Al. That's more important." Hinata said.

"Well said." Hawkeye commented, her smile giving the girl reassurance.

"So, how bad are the injuries?" Mustang asked.

Hinata turned red and looked the other way. To be honest she was a little afraid that the Flame Alchemist would try to separate her from the Elric brothers if he thought she was in too much danger traveling with them.

It was Hughes who answered.

"The doc said that she had a concussion, a fractured rib, and there was a cut on her forehead that required stiches." The lieutenant colonel listed off with his fingers. "Besides that there's the bruises and cuts she's got on her shoulders and upper back along with the one on her face. Apparently most of these injuries were the result of being caught up in the falling debris from the wall of the building Scar totaled."

"You could have been killed, you do realize that?" Mustang asked the girl. She could see that he did look a little upset.

"I know, but I was the only one who could take on Scar until you arrived." Hinata said, looking down. "And I c-couldn't have lived with m-myself if I left my friends to die. E-especially when I had the strength to p-protect them."

 _'This girl . . .'_ Hawkeye thought. It was true that she did appear delicate and frail – which made her battered appearance all the more upsetting – but there was quiet, inner strength inside Hinata. Something that did not flatter – a resolve that stayed true, and a profound loyalty to people she cared about. You couldn't help admiring that.

"Speaking of Scar – I'm curious to know how you've survived going toe to toe with him twice when he's managed to kill ten State Alchemist, and the people guarding them." Mustang said.

Hinata's eyes widened.

"T-ten?" She squeaked. The Hyuga had gone against a man who'd killed that many people of Ed's caliber and lived to tell about it? She started to feel light headed.

"Hey, Hinata, breathe!" Hughes said, alarmed.

Hinata gulped in air, trying to stop herself from hyperventilating.

"Sir, I think you should refrain from any more questions for now." Hawkeye advised as Hinata repeated "ten" to herself again, her white eyes wide with disbelief at her achievement.

Before Mustang could respond Hinata managed to regain her composure and quickly blurted out a reply.

"M-my fighting style is similar to his – I focus on pressure points. I'm able to do huge d-damage with light blows, and I'm very fast. S-scar was forced to keep his distance from me d-during the fight to avoid getting hit." Hinata quickly said. Of course there was more to the Gentle Fist than that, but this oversimplified version was enough to still be truthful without telling Mustang too much. The Hyuga didn't want just anyone knowing about the Gentle Fist, and she had yet to truly learn about Mustang's character enough to trust him completely with such information.

The man regarded the girl before him for a moment, and decided to accept the explanation. Granted, he knew she probably wasn't telling him everything but that was to be expected. At the very least, Mustang knew without a doubt that she was no threat – or at least not an intentional one.

"Interesting, you'll have to show me your combat skills sometime. For now, just know you have my gratitude for defending my protégé – as much of an annoyance as Edward can be I would be hard pressed to find another of his caliber." Mustang said.

Hinata nodded after a moment, smiling to herself.

Suddenly, there was a cry for help.

Hinata blinked.

"Alphonse?" She asked.

"It would seem that Major Armstrong is at it again." Hawkeye said. Mustang sighed and motioned for Hinata and Hughes to follow him.

They followed the Flame Alchemist and his aide to a door Hinata and Hughes had passed earlier and followed the man inside.

Hinata looked at the scene from behind Hughes, and was caught between feeling dumbfound, to trying not to giggle.

"Creation follows destruction!" Armstrong cried out passionately. He had stripped off his military jacket so that his chest was bare, showing off his impressive muscles. "Leave it to me, I'll fix him up nice and pretty!"

A pink background suddenly appeared behind the Strong Arm Alchemist as he flexed his muscles – there was even some pink sparkles hanging around his face.

Hinata was reminded of her cousin's sensei and teammate – Guy-sensei and Rock Lee respectively, and their overenthusiastic approach to their Power of Youth belief.

"Uh, that's okay." Al said awkwardly. Then he turned his attention toward the open door, and Hinata felt his gaze lock on her half hidden form.

"Hinata!" He said, his tone obviously delighted. "You're back!"

Ed looked up too. He and his brother were sitting on a wooden bench built into the wall. Fullmetal had a blanket over his shoulders, his red jacket discarded, which took Hinata aback for a moment, not use to seeing him without it. Someone had tied a blanket over the gaping hole in Al's armor – and Hinata was displeased to see that his left arm was also gone.

She stepped completely out from behind Hughes and smiled at the brothers.

"Hello."

"My dear girl!" Armstrong was suddenly in front of her and Hinata took a step back. Ryoga hissed and wriggled out of his mistress' grasp, leaving her to fend for herself. He had come out of the scuffle unharmed, though he'd lost his collar.

"What bravery! What selflessness! Putting yourself at risk for your friends, knowing you could be killed! Truly you are of remarkable character!"

He flexed his muscles again and Hinata tried to stammer out something – anything – to get Armstrong to stop his shower of praise for her deeds. There was a flare of pain in her side as she took a deep breath too suddenly and she hissed, grabbing onto the injured area.

Armstrong paused.

"Are you well? I hope I did not aggravate your injuries! You have my deepest apologies if I did." He said worriedly.

Hinata smiled reassuringly at him.

"No, I just breathed in too deeply. One of my ribs got fractured. I have to be careful for a while." She said.

"Your rib got fractured?" Ed asked, expression unreadable.

Hinata nodded. She had been so dazed when she woke up that the girl hadn't realized it until the doctor had checked her for other, less visible, injuries.

"How bad are you hurt?" Al asked, his tone concerned.

"I have a concussion and a cut on m-my forehead that needed stitches. Other than that all I have a-are bruises." Hinata said, and had to consciously stop herself from fingering the dark bruise that had blossomed under her right eye, and stood out vividly on her fair skin.

Ed sighed.

"So, what are you going to do?" Hughes asked Ed, having settled himself backwards on a chair.

"I'm going to get my other arm back, without it I can't fix Al." Ed said after a moment.

"Well that is a problem." Hawkeye observed out loud, "After all, if the great Edward Elric can't use his alchemy –"

"Then he's just a useless teenager with a grumpy ass attitude." Havoc finished teasingly.

Ed didn't take the bait, and instead said he'd have to take some leave time and go visit his mechanic. Hinata was surprised when he suddenly zeroed in on Mustang, his eyes focused, and asked his superior if he remembered his mechanic.

Mustang commented that he did – and it would be hard to forget considering Ed didn't have his automail limbs at the time and was thus, a pathetic sight.

Hinata went over to her friends and sat down between them as he spoke, a bit closer to Al. Ryoga was already there, reclining on Al's left knee. Ed looked away from Mustang, apparently that was not the response he wanted.

"And then, where will you head out to?" Hughes persisted.

"To Central." Ed said. "There's something I need to look up in the library there."

"That's one heck of a trip, you'll need an escort." Hughes commented. "I would volunteer but the Fuhrer is heading back to Central, and since I'm part of his escort I'm gonna have to follow."

"I was just put back in charge, I need to stay and look after things here." Mustang said.

"And I have to look after the Colonel." Hawkeye added.

"You could send me but I don't know how much help I'd be against a fanatical alchemist serial killer." Havoc said bluntly.

"SAME HERE!" Falman, Fuery, and Breda cried out from behind Havoc, hands raised high.

"It's settled then, sign me up!" Armstrong said happily. "I'll protect the boys during their recovery and investigation!"

"We don't need an escort!" Ed snapped with indignation.

"Come now Ed," Hawkeye said, not fazed by his outburst, "What's your plan if Scar shows up and you're still missing an arm?"

Ed flinched.

"You can't fight, can't exactly carry your hobbled brother to safety either." Havoc added.

"And Hyuga isn't in the best shape to save your ass again if Scar sniffs you out." Mustang pointed out. There was a note of sternness to his voice that Hinata had not heard before. "It's not just you and your brother anymore Fullmetal, your decisions affect her too. That is, if she still wants to travel with you after today."

Hinata suddenly felt all eyes on her, and her cheeks turned pink.

"You don't have to come." Ed said, his gold eyes serious. Hinata turned to him, surprised.

"Brother!" Al said, there was a note of objection in his tone.

"No Al, this is her call. We almost got her killed today because we weren't able to match up to Scar . . . I almost got her killed." Ed said, looking away for a moment. Then he met Hinata's eyes again and added. "It's not that we don't want you with us, heck even I have to admit it'd be weird without you around. But I don't want to get you killed. I mean, out of all of us together, you're the one going to be feeling the aftermath of today the longest. You've already proven you can protect yourself – but it's your call."

Al said nothing, knowing his brother was right.

"I still want to travel with you and Al!" Hinata said without hesitation. "E-even without you I'm still going to be tracking down the Philosopher's Stone too. It's not for the same reasons, and not with the same intent, but regardless I'll probably be pulled into trouble. Its best we stick together, we can watch each other's backs."

Ed blinked, truthfully he had half-forgotten about Hinata's quest to search for the Stone's origins. It been easy to do so because the girl had slipped into his and Al's lives seamlessly, like she had always been there.

He smiled.

"Alright then, it's your call after all." He said, grinning.

Hinata's answering smile was bright.

"You're searching for the Stone too?" Hughes asked, sounding surprised.

Hinata nodded, turning to the adults.

"My grandparents were killed when my mother was a teenager – she left me a letter explaining that she had found information suggesting that whomever did it had been connected to the Philosopher's Stone. D-during her travels there were also kidnapping attempts by strange people. My mother is dead now, she left the letter to warn me that I m-might be a target."

"Who was your mom?" Havoc asked.

"Himiko Yamazaki."

Mustang let out a loud cough that sounded like he was choking, and Hughes leaned too forward in his chair, losing his balance and falling flat on his face. Armstrong's blue eyes widened comically.

"Well, that explains why you looked so familiar to me when we first met." Mustang commented dryly. "I've been trying to track her down for years, I never really believed that she died. Turns out I was wrong."

"S-she died of an illness when I was almost four." Hinata mumbled. "There was nothing my Clan could do for her."

"What's so special about Hinata's mom?" Al asked.

"Let's put it this way," Hughes sighed as he pulled his chair back up. "She was the Edward Elric of her generation. A jewel that matched – and even surpassed, veteran alchemist with decades of experience."

"Brilliant and talented, the apprentice of the Crystal Alchemist. A prodigy that doesn't come along often, I'd say her skills in alchemy would have even surpassed yours Edward. Like you, she never needed a circle to transmute." Armstrong commented. "Not even when she was just a beginner."

Hinata heard Ed suck in a breath, she herself felt quite stunned.

"The Military never stopped trying to talk her into becoming a State Alchemist too." Mustang commented dryly. "The rumor mill says that top officials kept an eye on her ever since she was discovered by Marcoh – and her response was always "no" and that she had no tolerance for the leash put on Military Dogs."

Hinata smiled.

"I can believe that, Mama had a distrust for authority and hated being controlled." She said.

"But wait, if you are her daughter why did Gran say that there was no record of your existence?" Fuery asked. They had been told the whole story by the Elrics while Hinata was being checked out at the hospital.

"I was born . . . off the radar, I guess you could say." Hinata said awkwardly. There was no way she was telling them the particular truth to that story now.

"Well, that can be fixed," Hughes said. "If you'd just give me a sample of your DNA, like your hair, I can get proof that you're her daughter and have you registered as a citizen."

Hinata's eyes went wide.

"Really? Y-you would do that?" She asked.

"Of course! We can't have men like Gran using that as an excuse to turn you into a lab rat. Besides, I'd say you've earn some sort of reward for saving Ed's neck, wouldn't you all agree?" Hughes said carelessly to his comrades.

"I would." Havoc shrugged.

"Ditto!" Fuery, Falman, and Breda said in unison.

"Absolutely! Bravery and selflessness must be rewarded!" Armstrong said tearfully.

Mustang and Hawkeye shared a smile.

"Oh, thank you!" Hinata said, she moved to bow – but then remembered her rib and settled for nodding her head low in thanks.

"Now, now, there's no need for that!" Hughes said, waving away her thanks with his hand. "It's a pleasure to help out such a sweet young lady."

"Well children, there is a train leaving for your hometown soon. We should all gather our things and move out. Your luggage was brought here by the military from the inn you left it in, it's waiting for you in another room." Armstrong said.

Hinata sighed in relief, she had started to worry about her belongings . . .

"Don't call us children!" Ed said with indignation. "Al, Hinata! One of you back me up here!"

"That's the first time I've been treated like a kid since I've been in this armor! Thank you!" Al cried out happily, much to Ed's chagrin.

Hinata simply smiled and said. "I don't mind."

Outvoted, all Edward could do was grimace as his new bodyguard calmly said they should prepare for the journey.

 **XXX**

A little over an hour later, Ed, Hinata, and Armstrong were seated on a train, saying their farewells to Hughes through the window. Al had been forced to board the train as luggage, and was in a travel compartment containing sheep – which had been Armstrong's doing. It was his attempt to make Al feel less lonely during the ride.

Hinata had changed her clothing – now she was wearing a white shirt with elbow length sleeves and a pale violet colored cardigan sweater over it with sleeves up to her forearm. It was long enough to reach her thighs. The cardigan was only buttoned at the top though, so her shirt was visible, leaving the rest of the sweater to float around her torso. She also had on dark jeans up to her calves and still wore ninja sandals – only they were a pale violet, just like her cardigan. Her ninja headband was back around her neck, and the ruby on its silver chain was hidden underneath the girl's shirt.

The white shirt was slightly loose fitting so it would not discomfort Hinata's injured rib and give her more trouble breathing. Ryoga was happily settled on her lap, with a new collar around his throat to replace the one he'd lost in his short scuffle with Scar. It was light gray and had a pendent hanging from it that proclaimed his name in clear letters.

A child came up to Hughes as they talked, offering him a newspaper or tea. Hughes waved him off to wait and continued talking.

He had a message from Mustang to Ed, telling his young protégé not to die since it'd be even more of a pain in the ass to do the paperwork concerning his death than dealing with Ed himself.

Ed, snippily, told Hughes to pass on his reply; that he was not dying before Mustang, whom he called a number of names (morally-bankrupted-colonel-with-a-god-complex).

Hinata internally winced. While she and Ed had gone to retrieve their things the boy had confided in her about the note Marcoh had smuggled to him – to find "the truth" in the First Branch of Central's First National Library. But she had seen that something was bothering him and asked, hesitantly, about it

Ed seemed to hesitate for a moment, before spilling it all out. His childhood friend, Winry's, parents had been doctors who treated the wounded in the Rebellion. Thing was, they treated both soldiers and Ishbalans – saving as many lives as they could regardless of what side they were on. Sadly, their kindness had eventually cost them their lives – Gran had ordered Mustang to execute them for treating Ishbalans that would return to the battlefield.

Hinata was not surprised, but that did not make the information hurt any less. Poor Ed and Al – how horrible it must be hold such an ugly truth, especially when they were heading to Winry's house.

So she wasn't surprise that Ed was taking his bitterness out on Mustang.

Ed, meanwhile, also asked that Armstrong be left behind. The request was denied and Hughes laughed, but upon seeing Ed's sullen expression, sighed.

"Listen Ed, I don't know what Marcoh said to upset you, but I have some info you might find helpful. Three years ago we found the remains of a young girl who'd been changed into a chimera, I'm sure you remember."

That got Ed's attention.

"Nina." He whispered.

Nina. Hinata knew a bit about the little girl that had captured the Elric Brother's hearts – they'd spent several months together as Ed took the State Alchemist Exam. Hinata was aware that something bad had happened to her, but was not aware of the details. The Hyuga couldn't bring herself to ask – but now, Ed and Al's reluctance to talk about her made sense. A chimera – who could have done something so senseless and cruel?

"It turns out that the way she was killed is identical to the way Scar's been killing people." Hughes said.

It was silent for a moment, and then a dangerous smile crossed Ed's face.

"Thanks Hughes. That does help. Now I can take him out."

Hughes smiled grimly as the train's whistle signaled that it was about to depart.

He saluted them and the State Alchemist returned it. Hughes said he'd see them in Central and that he'd apply for permission to get the Brothers unrestricted access to First Branch.

The train rolled away.

 **XXX**

The trip was mostly uneventful – Al was accidently lifted out of the train when he mistaken for someone else's luggage. This resulted in a mini-adventure getting him back, but in the end, they did. Best of all, Ed and Armstrong came to an understanding during the event and their relationship improved.

When they finally reached Ed and Al's hometown; Resembool, Hinata was taken away by the serene calm it emitted, so different from the hustle, bustle of the city.

Armstrong commented on the small town's serenity too. He was carrying the large crate containing Alphonse like it only weighed a few pounds.

"Yeah, it's rural. A nice way of saying nothing's going on." Ed said, grinning. Hinata smiled as she adjusted her duffel bag, it was unzipped halfway so Ryoga could view everything, and breathe as Hinata walked. He had settled himself nicely on the first layer of clothing in her pack. The girl was grateful she'd put dark colored clothes on top – Ryoga's fur wouldn't show.

"It's been four years Brother." Al commented.

"That long already?" Ed asked.

Armstrong was surprised the two boys hadn't visited their hometown since they left, but Ed said that one couldn't come home when there was no family waiting for you.

 _'That's right.'_ Hinata thought, she remembered. Al had told her that his father had left the family when the boy was a baby, and the boys lost their mother to sickness when they were young. When Al had told her about his family situation Hinata found herself understanding much more the desperation that had driven the two to attempt Human Transmutation.

Eventually, the group approached a yellow house with green roof tiles. A sign balanced on crates next to the stone steps leading to the porch read "Automail Rockbell".

A black and white dog jogged over to them, Hinata blinked when she saw that the dog's left front leg was automail. She looked to Ryoga but the feline did not seem bothered at all by the dog, whose attention was occupied with Ed.

An old woman with circular glasses then approached them, she wasn't very tall, even shorter than Ed and only reaching his chest. She wore a green dress with a white apron over it and her hair was in a strange, ridge, high ponytail.

"Old lady Pinako, I need some more of you handiwork." Ed said sheepishly.

"Apparently so," Pinako responded, smiling. "You've really done a number this time Ed. I don't know why you have so much trouble keeping your arms." She examined his limp sleeve as she added the last part.

"Well, I've had a lot of things to swing at." Ed said.

"Hmm, for reason it seems you've gotten smaller." Pinako commented.

Hinata could have sworn she heard the "snap" as Ed's calm composure broke cleanly in half. Pinako's comment immediately sparked a vicious verbal match between herself and the teenager.

"You've got it wrong Granny. You're supposed to say how big I've gotten." Ed grounded out through clench teeth.

"Why would I say something that obviously isn't true?" Pinako said coolly.

"YOU'RE SMALL YOURSELF YOU MINITUIZED HAG!" Ed shouted.

"YOU'RE SHORTER THAN YOU TEMPER!" Pinako shot back.

"YOU'RE SO SHORT YOU'RE TWO DIMENSIONAL!"

As the verbal abuse continued Al and Hinata could only watch as Armstrong stepped in to put an end to the argument – he stripped so his muscles were bare, and showed off his brawn as if it could remedy the situation.

"Who is this guy? He doesn't get the joke, does he?" Pinako asked.

"Alex Louise Armstrong, humbly at your service." Armstrong said, offering his hand. The pink sparkles somehow suspended around his face grew brighter. Pinako stared for a moment before taking his hand and smiling.

"Flattered, I'm Pinako Rockbell." The old woman said, shaking hands with the State Alchemist. Then she turned her attention to Hinata.

"And who might you be, my dear?" She asked kindly.

Hinata stepped forward and inclined her head.

"Hello, I'm Hinata Hyuga. It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Rockbell." Then she offered her hand to old woman who took it.

"Pleasure is mine, feel free to call me Granny Pinako, most youngsters here do." She said, smiling.

Something shiny suddenly tore through the air, Hinata turned just in time to see it crash harshly against Ed's forehead.

"Brother!" Al cried out.

Hinata looked up and saw a young woman, probably around Ed's age, on the balcony of the second story. She had long, light blond hair tied up with two strands framing her face. A burgundy bandanna was tied over her head and across her forehead. She wore a black tube top that left her midriff exposed since her pink jumpsuit had been pulled down around her hips, the sleeves tied to keep it there. Her blue eyes were narrowed dangerously at Edward.

"Great, I buy you a wrench and you try to kill me with it!" Ed shouted.

"Apparently you're trying to kill yourself, just what have you been doing?!" The girl yelled back angrily.

"So, I'm guessing that's Winry." Hinata whispered to Al who meekly nodded.

Once they were all inside and Winry got a closer look at the damage she was absolutely furious.

"Ed, I'm serious. I. Want. Answers! How did you wreck the best automail I ever made, I put my heart and soul into that!" Winry wailed, looking at the poor remains of Ed's right mechanic limb to Ed himself.

"Is it my fault it broke so easily?" Ed asked, trying to defuse the girl's irriation.

"Al's armor is all busted up too and steel doesn't shatter on its own! You've been getting into trouble again, haven't you?" Winry said, suspicion written all over her face that the boys weren't telling her everything.

"No, I mean, ask Ed!" Al blurted.

"What about her?!" Winry demanded, pointing at Hinata who was standing next to Al's crate. "The kid looks like she's been put through a meat grinder!"

"Hum, t-this was the price I paid f-for getting distracted at a-a critical m-moment." Hinata stuttered.

Winry's face fell.

"Great, I can already tell that I won't be able to stay mad with you either." She pouted. Hinata smiled shyly.

Pinako, meanwhile, compared Ed's flesh, and mechanical leg against each other.

She concluded that not only would she and Winry have to build Ed a new limb from scratch, they would also have to make height adjustments to his leg. Edward had grown an inch since they'd last seen each other.

Ed asked if the task could be done in a week.

Pinako blew out smoke from her pipe, one that vividly reminded Hinata of the Third Hokage.

"Give us some credit Ed, we'll have it done in three days." She said, smirking.

Winry questioned the boys on why they were in such a rush to leave, when they failed to give her a sufficient answer she threateningly pulled out a wrench. When Ed and Al (nervously) stood firm she walked away, pouting about how they never told her anything.

Hinata smiled as Al and Ed commented to each other that, despite the trouble they put her through, Winry was always there for them.

The Hyuga glanced out the window toward the peaceful, mellow country landscape outside.

She had a feeling her three days in Resembool would be enjoyable ones.

* * *

 **Hoped you enjoyed this! PLEASE leave Reviews!**

 **Sign**

 _ **Snowlily246**_


	14. Warmth of Touch

**I hope you like this chapter! Also spoiler - there's a sweet little moment between Al and Hinata! PLEASE REVIEW!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or the Naruto series nor do I own the characters belonging to each respective series. I own only Ryoga, Himiko, and Himiko's parents.**

* * *

Chapter 14

Granny Pinako gave Ed a temporary leg to get around on while she and Winry worked on his limbs. The leg seemed to be made out of a sturdy plastic material. Al then asked to be put outside so he could sit on the grass and Armstrong carried him outside. Ed followed after a few minutes of getting the feel of his new leg.

Hinata opted to go sit on the porch steps and read a bit – she had been with the Elrics day in and out for quite some time and girl felt she should give them some space.

She certainly didn't want them to think of her as an annoying tag along.

After assurance from Winry about the black and white dog, Den, being completely friendly with cats Hinata let Ryoga out to explore the immediate area. As he walked off, she reached into her bag to get a storage scroll.

Hinata had resorted using sealing scrolls to store all her books and personal items. It gave her much more room in her duffel since the scrolls weren't very big, she even had a few empty ones in case a situation came up where she needed it.

The Hyuga rolled the scroll open on the step beside her, and slammed her palm onto its surface. A puff of smoke rose up and two stacks, each one containing half a dozen books, were left when the smoke cleared.

Hinata looked through the piles and found the one she was looking for; her latest flower pressing book. Smiling, the girl pulled it out and opened it to the first page. Looking at the flowers reminded her of the village and certain people – so it eased her longing to see them again.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed when Ryoga returned, the Hyuga looked up from her book to see her animal companion approaching and smiled. She picked the cat up and settled him onto her lap, then pulled out a cat brush from her bag and began brushing out his fur.

Hinata felt Ryoga stiffen like he always did when she started to brush him, but after a few minutes he relaxed and started to enjoy it.

Hinata liked it too, the action put her in a peaceful, meditate state; not really thinking of anything and just being content with everything in the moment.

Ryoga suddenly changed his position on her lap and Hinata blinked, she looked down. A book had fallen against her knee and the girl realized that the first stack of books had been knocked over and landed against the second.

"Sorry! I lost my balance for a second!" Winry said sheepishly. She was holding a crate filled with mechanical parts.

Hinata regained her ability to think a moment later.

"O-Oh! No, it was my fault! I wasn't thinking, I shouldn't have p-parked myself here on the front steps. I'm sorry!" Hinata babbled. Internally she wished that she wouldn't get so nervous over meeting new people.

Then again, it was probably because these people were close family friends of the Elrics – and Hinata had begun to realize that the Elric Brothers' opinion mattered to her a great deal.

As a result, she wanted to make a good impression on the Rockbells.

"Hey, don't worry about it – your books are the ones that got kicked down the steps." Winry said and Hinata realized she was right – some of the first stack had bounced down the steps.

She quickly stood up and began to collect the fallen books, Ryoga meowed with displeasure at having been unsettled from Hinata's lap.

Hinata was getting up with two books tucked under her arm and one in her hand when Winry was suddenly in front of her with another book in her hand.

"T-thank you." Hinata muttered.

"No problem, it was kind of my fault." Winry said sheepishly.

Hinata smiled back hesitantly as she placed the books back on the scroll. She decided to seal them away again and go on a walk to get a look at the town. That way she'd be out of everyone's way.

"Huh, how did you carry so many books with you? The duffle doesn't look that big." Winry commented.

Hinata quickly gave the older girl a demonstration as she resealed the books in the scroll for storage.

Winry was awestruck.

"How did you do that?! How does it work?! Can you teach me?! Please, I gotta know, I gotta know!" She squealed.

Hinata leaned backwards slightly, taken aback by Winry's enthusiasm.

"Um, you need to be able to use something called Chakra to store items in the scroll. Unfortunately I'm the only one w-who can use it." Seeing Winry's face fall the Hyuga hurriedly added. "I-I'll look into it though. I'm sure there must be some way to make it useable for you."

"Oh! Thanks a bunch!" Winry said happily, abruptly hugging Hinata.

"Y-you're welcome." Hinata said, surprised by the gesture.

"Well, I should get back to work." Winry said looking towards the crate she'd left at the bottom of the steps.

Hinata nodded, then hesitated and asked.

"Is there any chance I could help out with something? I-I can cook, I'd be able to help make dinner."

"I'm sure Granny would appreciate the help, I'll let her know." Winry said kindly.

Hinata's face brightened, she felt a lot better, knowing she'd be helping out with the day to day activities.

"Before I go, can I ask you something?" Winry asked.

"S-sure."

"Why are you out here all by yourself?"

"Oh, um, well I thought that since I've been with the boys day in and o-out lately that it'd be good to give them some time to themselves. Y-you and Miss Pinako are busy with E-ed's automail and since I can't really help you I figured it'd be best to stay out of the way. I-I'm not sure what Armstrong is d-doing but he's p-probably being productive. S-so . . ." Hinata trailed off.

Winry blinked.

"I'm getting the feeling that you're a thoughtful person." She finally said, and then added in a rush. "That's a good thing! But there's no need for you to be alone, Granny and I don't mind talking with people while we work – and if we need to concentrate on something we'd let you know first. You're also right about Mr. Armstrong, he's out chopping wood since he noticed our fuel was low. As for Ed and Al . . . well you're probably right about giving them time to themselves – but I don't think they realize you're doing it."

"W-what do you mean?" Hinata asked, confused.

"Well, I asked them where you guys met up. While they were dancing around certain things and not telling me everything," There was a flash of annoyance in Winry's face here. "As they talked, they spoke about you like they've always known you. You fit into their lives pretty good, I'm guessing, and because of that I can see they've gotten pretty attached to you."

"Really?" Hinata asked, feeling happiness bubble up inside her.

"Yup! And speaking of those two . . ." Here Winry lowered her voice. "Ed went with Den to visit his mom's grave. Al suggested he do it so I don't think that's the reason but I noticed that Alphonse . . . he's quieter than usual, distant. He seems . . . anxious."

Hinata immediately became concerned.

"I-I'll go sit with him, maybe he'll talk to me." She said.

Winry smiled.

"Thanks."

The smile Hinata returned was bright.

"Thank you too."

 **XXX**

Hinata found Al around the side of the house, his head was turned to the sky and, to the Hyuga, it seemed like he was lost in thought.

Silently she made her way over to him, Ryoga trotting at her heels, and waited for him to notice her presence, it did not take long.

"Hinata, hey." Al said.

"Hello." Hinata responded. Gracefully and soundlessly, she sat down in the grass beside him, hands folded neatly in her lap. He saw Ryoga come to a stop beside her, his gold eyes staring right at Alphonse.

It was silent between the two for a moment.

"How is your rib?" Al finally asked.

"It's much better now, I can take in breaths easier."

"I thought you'd go take a nap as soon as you got here." Al said honestly.

"I thought so too, but when we arrived I found myself not feeling all that tired for some reason." Hinata confessed.

"What was it like, after your mom died?" Al asked suddenly.

Surprised, all Hinata could say was, "Huh?"

"The memories of her, I mean, have they . . . faded? Do you remember what it's like when she was alive?" Al clarified.

Hinata looked down.

"I remember, it was the happiest time in my life. After she died, things got . . . very hard. They were never easy to begin with but her death . . . everything was worse."

"What do you mean?" Al asked.

"Father always held high expectations for me – and I usually f-fell short. Other members of the clan were impressed by my skill in the Gentle Fist and Byakugan but Father wasn't among them. He felt like I could do more, that I wasn't p-pushing myself to the fullest. Maybe he was r-right, I was always afraid of failing him and that probably affected my performance when I was in his presence. But there's more to it – I dislike fighting and competition, and I'm very gentle. My father thought of those traits as weaknesses. T-things only got worse when it became clear my older cousin Neji was a prodigy in the use of the Byakugan and Gentle Fist. His father, and mine were twin brothers – but as the firstborn Father became head of the family." Hinata explained.

She proceeded to give Al a brief explanation on how the Main Branch, and Side Branch of the Hyuga family were organized and their roles in the Hyuga Clan, as well as the existence of the Cage Bird Seal.

"So," Hinata concluded. "It was very painful irony t-that Neji turned out to be so strong, and stronger than the clan's heiress at that."

Al nodded, starting to understand some of Hinata's mannerism more – and he didn't like what he was seeing.

"I thought me and Brother had difficult lives, but you can give us a run for our money." Al commented thoughtfully.

Hinata chuckled.

"I don't think so – but anyway that's been moot now for some time. Father and some clan members thought of me as being unfit to lead the clan, so a match was set up between me and my younger sister Hanabi."

"You have a little sister?" Al asked, surprised.

Hinata nodded.

"She's five years my junior, and the daughter of Father's second wife. He r-remarried not that long after Mother died due to p-politics. She was a good stepmother – I wasn't her daughter, but she treated me like I was anyway. I could always talk to her about anything – but she died when Hanabi was young. Father hasn't remarried since."

"I see." Al said, feeling a twinge of sympathy for Hiashi. It couldn't be easy, losing two wives.

"Anyway, Hanabi was progressing well in her training, b-better than me by far. That's why some were in favor of her being named heiress, so the match was held. I had an opening to win the fight, but I didn't want to hurt my sister so I hesitated. That gave Hanabi the opening she needed to win, so Father trained her as heiress instead."

"There's no shame in not wanting to hurt your sister." Al said.

"I know." Hinata said. "But as I said, I remember Mother very well since I was happiest when she was alive, but sometimes it's hazy. I do wonder at times if some memories are just ones I made up from the smaller recollections I have of her. Why do you ask?"

"Sometimes I have trouble remembering things from my past – I can't recall certain things." Al muttered.

"Y-you've been through a lot since your soul was bonded to the armor. And that experience itself was a traumatic one – it's natural for old memories to fade after an event like that." Hinata pointed out.

"I guess you're right." Al said, but there was doubt in his voice.

"Alphonse, is there something else bothering you?" Hinata asked, sensing that Al's issue was deeper than that.

The armor went perfectly still for a moment.

"It's nothing." He said finally.

Hinata frowned but did not push it. Maybe Al would be more willing to talk later on.

 **XXX**

That night the young Hyuga helped Pinako with dinner, and while some of the recipes were strange to her, Hinata was able to pull through with help from the older woman. The food was eaten with great enthusiasm and once dinner was over Hinata took over cleaning the dishes.

Winry had pulled an all-nighter to finish the arm while Pinako had worked on adjusting Ed's leg. As a result, they were ready to be attached the next day after making some last minute adjustments.

It turned out that process of attaching the nerves of the automail to his human body was painful and Ed had to be put on the couch to sleep off the pain. But he didn't sleep for long, three hours later he was up and Armstrong gathered the pieces of Al's armor Mustang's crew had gathered.

Ed, Armstrong, and Hinata stood in front of Al who was propped up on top of a blanket next to the limbs Scar had blown off and all the little pieces of Al's armor that could be found.

Ed lifted off Al's helmet to show them the blood seal he had drawn to bond Al's soul to the armor.

"It was a close call, if that gash had been closer in . . ." Al trailed off.

"Yeah, it was a close call. So no matter what we have to guard that better. Without that critical point there'd be nothing tying you down." Ed commented.

Armstrong leaned forward to exam the seal more closely, "It looks like it was drawn with blood."

"Yeah, that's my blood. I was in a hurry." Ed said.

At once Armstrong started posing.

"How inspiring! Such a powerful bond, such a display of brotherly love!"

"That's enough Major Spaz, you're really getting in the way of the work here." Ed sighed as he returned Al's helmet to the armor. The sparkles hovering around Armstrong's face dropped like rocks.

Hinata smiled to herself as Ryoga absently rubbed his head against her ankle.

Ed clapped his hands together before placing both palms on Al's chest plate. Hinata spotted the blood seal glowing through the hole in Al's armor before the boy was lifted up into the air and his missing half was reconstructed.

"Oh!" Hinata said. If she didn't know better she'd have though he was never in a fight with Scar that went horribly bad for him. Al's armor looked brand new.

"I feel great, thanks Brother." Al said happily.

"Don't mention it." Ed said. "Shall we do our usual routine then?"

"Yeah!" Al agreed.

"What routine?" Hinata asked curiously.

Ed explained that his and Al's alchemy teacher taught them that to train the mind one must also train the body. He also added that in all these years, he'd never beaten Alphonse once.

Armstrong immediately offered to help but the brothers quickly said that it was not necessary that they were good. So the Strong Arm Alchemist stood to the side to watch the fight, Hinata herself sat on the steps, Ryoga on her lap, to watch the sparring session. Pinako had taken out the stiches in Hinata's forehead and her concussion was no longer an issue. Her rib, however, was still on the mend despite Hinata's efforts to accelerate the healing process and needed more time.

Therefore Hinata decided to stay on the sidelines for this one.

Ed and Al were excellent martial artists – but while Ed was doing well Hinata could see why he had a hard time against Al. Even without the combat advantages the armor gave him the younger Elric had uncanny reflexes and a good sense for following his opponent's movements.

Winry looked out the front door in the middle of the fight and warned the brothers not to break themselves again before heading back inside.

Then Armstrong could no longer control himself and he tackled Al after the boy had sent Ed flying.

Hinata squeaked as the two rolled head over heels in the dirt, not expecting the Major to jump into the fight like that.

Al went up against Armstrong who overpowered him and lifted the boy high above his head and tossed him away. Hinata winched when he landed roughly a few feet away from Edward who had come back into the fight.

Al took on Armstrong while Ed slid underneath his brother's feet to tackle at the older man's legs, upsetting his balance. Al then tossed Armstrong over his shoulder.

Hinata clapped her hands as the brothers celebrated their victory.

 **XXX**

Later that night Ed and Al gave Hinata and Armstrong a tour of where their childhood home had once stood. They pointed out where the fireplace had once been and how Ed would make up excuses for not chopping firewood, leaving Al to do it.

Al also related how their mother, Trisha, would shine a bright light out of the second story window to let them know to come home when the brothers were out too late.

Armstrong called the boys foolish, and said that they already had a home here, with a loving family always waiting for their return.

The Rockbells, in order words.

On their way back to the house, Winry started flashing a light from the balcony, just like Trisha did, to say it was time to come home, Ryoga sitting beside her.

That night, when everyone had gone to bed, Hinata tossed and turned in her bed located in the attic. She was unable to fall asleep, plagued with insomnia and old memories stirred by her talk with Al two days previously.

Giving up on getting sleep, Hinata climbed out of bed and went over to the window. Ryoga spelt on, not disturbed in the slightest as his mistress gently eased the window open.

The girl was about to climb through when something made her pause, she retreated back inside, grabbed her cardigan, and slipped her feet into some spare sandals. With the sweater tucked under her arm, Hinata slid out of the window and stuck her feet to the wall of the house. Making sure the skirt of her nightdress stayed down the ex-heiress silently walked down the length of the wall until she got to the porch.

Hinata slid on her cardigan and fingered the ruby resting just above her breast and walked down the steps. Maybe a walk would help clear her head.

Al saw the shadow on the porch from the room he and Ed were staying in, having been looking out the window for lack of anything else to do. He was surprised to see Hinata calmly walk down the front of the house to the porch as causal as you please like it was nothing. He recalled when she did the same thing during her fight with Scar – there had been so much drama lately he and his brother hadn't questioned her more on it.

He snuck a peek at his brother, who was still sleeping deeply, gentle snores filling the room. Al knew Ed wouldn't be waking up anytime soon, especially since it was his first night with his automail limbs reattached. His slumber would be deep and require effort to break.

Mind made up, the younger Elric hurried to sneak out of the house before Hinata walked out of sight.

Hinata kept walking until she reached the stream located at the very back of Resembool. The flow of water went down the mountain and was bordered by rocks on either side for a few feet.

It was perfect for what Hinata had in mind.

She knocked off her sandals and laid her cardigan on a smooth, dry boulder.

Having learned her lesson the last time she practiced her water walking/chakra control, Hinata stayed clothed this time. The nightgown reached her knees and she had shorts underneath it. There were no sleeves, the front simply kept up by being tied around her neck with two thin strings attached to the front of the dress.

The entire thing was a simple white, and the necklace was still there of course. The ruby hanging from it stood out vividly against the stark whiteness of the dress, like the bruise on Hinata's face that was starting to fade.

The girl stepped onto the water, her feet creating small ripples as she walked along the stream. Then she started to spin, channeling chakra to her hands in order to draw the water towards her.

It worked.

Droplets followed her palms and feet as she jumped, spun, and ultimately danced on the water's surface. The practice calmed her as she lost herself in the movements and just flowed with the water.

 **xxx**

Al watched from behind a rock as Hinata danced, her feet brushing the water's surface like it was solid ground. She glided and almost seemed to float, the liquid following her arms smoothly and without flaw. Eventually, Hinata was surrounding in a sphere of water droplets.

 _'Oh . . .'_ Al thought. _'How is she able to do that?'_

"Meow."

Suddenly aware that Hinata would be very embarrassed if she found out he had been watching her, Al ducked behind his rock. Trying to be completely still, he listened to sound of the water Hinata had been manipulating suddenly drop back into the stream.

"Ryoga?" Hinata's voice sounded relieved. "You're annoyed with me aren't you? I'm sorry, I didn't want to wake you up. I promise I won't leave you behind again."

Taking a risk, Al peeked around the edge of his rock, and saw Hinata had walked to the edge of the stream and was petting a disgruntled looking Ryoga. The cat soon forgave her and settled down to watch his mistress' next actions.

But she didn't dance again – instead her attention turned to the ruby hanging off its silver chain. Hinata pulled the chain, up and over her head, before gathering the ruby in her palm and staring at it, allowing the chain to slip between her fingers and hang limply in the air.

She held it up above her right eye, and as Al focused he saw the loneliness and sadness etched into her expression as she gazed at the moon through the ruby.

"I wish you were here Mama." Hinata said softly. "I feel like I'm not really doing anything to accomplish the mission you left me. I've found some clues – but, what if they're just a dead end? I know I'm a failure in a lot of things to Father, but you always believed in me – so I must be able to do this, right?"

"Sounds like Hinata has issues." A voice whispered behind him.

Al just barely managed to avoid blowing his cover and turned around. His brother was there, with that brooding look on his face.

"Brother, don't sneak up on me like that!" Al hissed lowly. "Hinata would be humiliated if she knew we were watching!"

Ed looked at Al with a dull expression.

"You're the one who was watching her, I just got here a minute ago. Are you stalking her?"

"No!" Al whispered furiously. "I've noticed her leave the house during the night since we've been here. I wasn't able to follow her then though so I had to wait. I was curious, give me a break!"

"You're sure getting defensive, why are you being so sensitive? Ed quizzed.

Al chose not to answer that, and just sighed.

"Meow."

Both brothers froze.

 **xxx**

Hinata moved the ruby to her ear, just behind the strand that framed the right side of her face. If she listened closely the Hyuga was able to hear a hum – an almost undetectable song. The girl wasn't sure how the ruby emitting such a sound was possible but it brought her comfort so she didn't question it.

"Meow!"

There was a THUD as something fell but Hinata was not concerned, like before with her training the hum had put her into a serene calm. She pulled the ruby away from her ear, holding it to her chest, and looked over her shoulder.

It took a moment for her to register what she was seeing.

Ryoga was tugging and batting at the long piece of ribbon that poked out of the top of Al's helmet – who was there.

The helmet had been knocked off and the body fell to its side. Ed was there too, having fallen over Al's torso. They froze when they realized she was looking at them.

The serene calm shattered and Hinata's eyes widened, a furious red raged on her face. Spreading from one cheek, over her nose to the other cheek it was very visible. Hinata backed away.

"Ah, wait! We're sorry!" Al said hurriedly, reclaiming his helmet from Ryoga and putting it back on.

"We're sorry? You were the one watching her, I just got here." Ed interjected, getting to his feet.

"H-how much did you s-see?" Hinata asked, very grateful she had stayed clothed.

"Um, I saw the dancing." Al admitted.

At that moment Ed noticed Hinata's feet placed firmly on the surface of the water, right in the middle of the stream.

"HOW THE HELL ARE YOU DOING THAT?!" He shouted.

Hinata winced at the volume.

"Brother!" Al said, seeing the flinch.

"Sorry, but this is just too weird!" Ed said, waving a hand at Hinata.

"I-I told you about it not long after w-we first met." The Hyuga stuttered.

"Water walking, right?" Al asked lightly. The Hyuga nodded and a very awkward silence descended on the three.

"Do either of you want to try?" Hinata finally asked, hesitant of their reply.

"Huh, you mean we can do it too?" Al asked, sounding delighted.

Hinata nodded. "I-I have to be holding your hand though."

Ed, however appeared concerned.

"Al can't get his blood rune wet, if it washes away there'll be nothing tying him down."

Seeing Al's disappointment Hinata quickly suggested trying it on the shallow bank where the water only reach Al's ankles.

Ed consented, but insisted on going first to check it out himself.

So Hinata walked over and offered him her hand, after a moment the gold eyed teenager accepted and immediately felt a tingling sensation going down his arm. It wasn't unpleasant or painful, just odd and it gave him an excited feeling.

"Brother!" Al cried out happily.

Ed looked down and saw his feet planted firmly on the surface of the water, barely making a ripple.

"Holy cow!" He said, grinning.

Hinata smiled, and proceeded to walk him across the stream to the other side, and back. Once they returned to Al she could still see Ed's hesitation and gently suggested walking Al along the shallow side of the bank.

Seeing his brother's eagerness Ed gave his consent, and said he'd walk along Al's other side.

The conditions having been decided upon, Hinata turned her attention to Alphonse and shyly offered him her hand.

He reached out and took it.

The resulting reaction was unexpected.

They weren't so surprised that they let go of the other's hand, rather they held on tighter, but nevertheless it was still a big shock. Hinata felt Alphonse like she would feel the chakra of another person – only this felt more . . . intimate.

Al's grip around her hand tightened, and she looked up into the two orbs of light that represented his eyes. She felt his shock, disbelief, hope and joy through their joined hands and found herself unable to look away or say anything.

"Hey, it's working." Ed said with great satisfaction. The water was only deep enough to hit Al's ankles if the chakra supporting him flattered. He looked up, only to see that the two were not paying attention to him at all, and were staring into each other's eyes.

"Um, guys?" Ed asked slowly, he had the inexplicably feeling of having become a third wheel.

"I can feel it."

"What?" Ed asked.

"Brother," Al said, his voice trembling. "I can feel Hinata, the chakra . . ."

Edward Elric froze, and then waded into the water so he was in front of his brother and Hinata. His eyes scanned their persons, the moonlight providing sufficient light as the older Elric examined them.

Then he saw it, their clasped palms were glowing blue, and Ed realized that it was Hinata's chakra, having seen it much fainter in their joined hands when she helped him water walk.

But there was another difference besides the glow of chakra being brighter, it was also clinging to Al's hand, wherein with Ed it had simply washed over his.

"It feels warm," Al said softly.

Ed felt his throat suddenly became choked up and his eyes felt dry. The raw emotion in those three little words was heartbreaking to take in – the first sensation of warmth Alphonse had felt in three years.

Eventually Hinata had to bring Al back to shore, unable to keep up the chakra flow necessary to keep him up after her training and water walk with Ed. On the way back to the house the older Elric noticed both teens touching their hand when they thought the other two weren't looking.

A few hours later, after daybreak, the teens and Armstrong were ready to leave.

"Don't be strangers, you come and have dinner with us sometime, you hear?" Pinako was saying to group as they all stood outside the Rockbell house. Ryoga had once again neatly tucked himself into Hinata's bag, not intending to exert any effort to get to the train at all.

"We will, home sweet home, right?" Ed said.

Hinata hid her smile when she saw Winry's face lift up at his words.

"So . . . you'll come home soon?" The mechanic asked, a bright smile on her face.

Ed smiled back. "Yeah . . ."

And then they were walking down the path.

As Al half turned to wave goodbye one last time, Hinata discreetly looked at him out of the corner of her eye. Her right hand, the one that Al had held a few hours earlier, clenched into a fist.

 _'That feeling . . .'_ Hinata thought. _'It was so different from how I felt around Naruto. Not in a bad way, just different . . . but similar too.'_

What did it mean?

* * *

 **Hope you liked it!**

 **Sign**

 _ **Snowlily246**_


	15. The Code

**Hello Everyone, Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or the Naruto series nor the characters from their respective animes.**

* * *

Chapter 15

The group immediately headed straight for Central City. Hinata peeked out of the windows as the train was driven into the city and towards the station. Central looked bigger, and fancier than East City where Eastern Command had been situated.

The train finally pulled into the station and everyone disembarked, Ed in particular was impatient with excitement to get to the First Branch.

The State Alchemist chuckled.

"Central! Finally, it's good to be back!" He said cheerfully. "But why are we standing around when the library is waiting for us?!

He proceeded to run ahead, with Al calling after him and hurrying to keep up. Hinata stood by Armstrong, smiling, as they watched Ed's enthusiasm. Ryoga watched the happenings lazily, comfortably perched on Hinata's shoulders.

"Now boys, what's the rush? It's not as if the library is going anywhere." Armstrong said calmly, walking with Hinata at a more reasonably pace.

"After all our searching we have our first solid lead! I can't just sit on my butt now!" Ed explained, his smile wide.

He stopped his in tracks as they exited the station and two uniformed soldiers approached him. They were both saluting.

"Major Armstrong sir, we've been sent to meet you as requested." The woman said. Unlike the man standing beside her she wore a black coat over her uniform. She possessed very short dark brown hair with dark blue eyes and fair skin. There was a beauty mark under her left eye.

"Well done troops." Armstrong said, returning the salute. He turned to Ed and explained that since he had to return to his other duties these two soldiers would be his new bodyguards. He then told the officers to introduce themselves.

"Lieutenant Maria Ross, reporting sir." The woman said.

"And I'm Sargent Denny Brosh humbly at your service." The man said.

"It is an honor to meet you Fullmetal Alchemist Edward Elric, sir!" They both finished in unison . . . to Alphonse.

Hinata looked at Ed's hunched up form with sympathy and chagrin. This mistaken case of identity was less than likely to endear the teen to his new protectors.

"Wow, you do live up to your name sir! When they say Fullmetal they aren't kidding." Bloch commented. He had dark brown hair that reached his chin and was parted in the middle, his eyes were dark.

Al, who was as uncomfortable about this as Ed was furious, meekly told the officers that they were talking to the wrong person and pointed at his brother.

"I'm used to it." Ed mumbled, irritated

Both officers looked dismayed with their mistake, as well as shocked that the sullen teenager was the one they should be addressing as their superior.

"Really, you mean this little guy –" Brosh cut himself off.

"Uhhh?" Ed asked, his expression warped as he silently dared the officer to complete his sentence.

Hinata cringed and Al silently groaned. Perfect.

"Uh, no I mean – I'm sorry sir. Sorry! I just thought you'd be "fuller" and more "metal", ya know?" Bloch frantically, and clumsily, said as he tried to placate the young man.

"Shut up!" Ed snapped. He turned to Armstrong and tried to convince him that he did not need a "babysitter", nor did Al or Hinata at this point since they all back in shape.

"Sorry Edward, I'd avoid it if I could." Armstrong said sincerely.

 _'I can understand that – despite being trained soldiers who he obviously trusts to handle themselves against Scar . . . Well, assigning two of your subordinates to guard someone against a fanatical alchemist serial killer who's killed eleven State Alchemist and dozens more is something most superiors would rather avoid.'_ Hinata thought to herself.

Meanwhile, Ross informed Ed that Scar had been sighted in Central.

Ed most definitely looked unhappy to hear that bit of information.

"We have no other choice Edward. You'll just have to bear with it for now. Armstrong said simply.

Ross (with Bloch close behind) quickly attempted to assure Ed that the two of them would protect him and his brother.

They, of course, had yet to notice Hinata, who had been hidden by Armstrong and Al's bulk.

"Just don't slow me down." Ed said disdainfully, earning Ross' scowl. Then she noticed Hinata and her eyes widened.

Armstrong saw what had caught his subordinate's eye and immediately reacted.

"Oh dear, forgive me, it seems we overlooked you." He said.

Hinata just smiled in response, not really bothered by it – she was quiet and had intentionally hidden herself to see what the two soldiers were like.

"Don't worry about it." She said kindly.

Bloch stared at Hinata's white eyes, not with an ounce of tact, until Ross firmly elbowed him in the ribs. The action made him realize his blatant staring and he blushed.

"Sorry Miss," He said, looking at the ground.

"It's alright." Hinata said softly, just loud enough to be heard.

"This is Hinata Hyuga, a close friend of the Elrics. She's been traveling with them for some time and was involved in the confrontation with Scar. I assume you've read the reports?" Armstrong said.

Both officers nodded.

"Very good. Well then, we can't say for sure if he'll target her or not. But she did stand in his way when he attempt to kill Fullmetal so it's unlikely Scar will forget her face. Keep an eye on her too." Armstrong ordered, surprising Hinata.

"Yes sir," Both Ross and Bloch said in unison.

Armstrong nodded at them and then turned to Hinata one more time.

"Hughes will likely show up to say hello and to ask you for himself about your fight with Scar. He's very curious about your fighting method."

Hinata felt a little uneasy at that, but knowing she had little choice in the matter, nodded anyway. Ryoga purred reassuringly into her ear, sensing her distress and got a smile out of the girl.

"Oh, Mr. Elric sir, wait! We brought a car!" Bloch cried out, going after Ed who had started walking away.

Hinata saw Ross frown after the older Elric, though Al quickly tried to reassure the lieutenant that his brother was like that with most people and it was best not to take it personally. He then went after Edward and Bloch.

The young Hyuga smiled shyly at the older woman, and Ross' discontented expression softened.

"I know the boy doesn't look like much but he has come through for us on many occasions." Armstrong said from behind Hinata, tearfully. The pink sparkles shone bright around his face as he sobbed. "So make sure he finds what he came for!"

Ross sighed and said she and Bloch would try . . . but that it may already be too late.

"W-what do you mean?" Hinata asked, concerned.

"The library's First Branch burned down last night." Ross admitted.

 **xxx**

Hinata hung back with Armstrong, Ross and Bloch as Ed and Al stood before the sad remains of the First Branch.

"You've got to be kidding." Ed whispered, as Ross sadly explained that Scar had been sighted around the area not long before the fire had broken out.

Ed reached down to pick up the scorched remains of a book, it broke and crumbled apart in his hand.

"Brother . . ." Al said sadly.

"Our first decent lead, is in a pile of ashes." Ed whispered.

Ross and Bloch took them to the Second Branch where the two librarians who had worked in the First Branch were with some books they'd managed to recover.

The male librarian, and older man with receding hair and glasses brought them a crate filled with burned books.

"I'm sorry, we searched all morning but these are the only books we could recover." He said apologetically.

Ed resolutely reached inside the crate and pulled out a book, attempting to see the title in the small hope it was Marcoh's research book.

"We'll be alright." Al muttered from where he stood beside his brother.

Hinata watched, Ryoga still riding her shoulder, when a female librarian approached Ross. She was younger than her co-worker and had black hair tied back and brown skin, her eyes were scanning a thin green book.

"I'm sorry officer but I have a record of a book by Tim Marcoh having been in the main building." She said. "If it had been moved here from the main branch, there would be a record of it."

"Wait, isn't it possible that the book was checked out?" Ed asked.

"It is possible." The female librarian acknowledged. "But there's no way to know for sure since the circulation records were destroyed in the fire."

"Understood," Ed sighed.

"I guess we'll never read that book." Al lamented.

Hinata bit her lip, the situation did seem pretty hopeless.

However, as Ed questioned the female librarian, she revealed that there had been one other librarian in staff some time ago. However the young woman, Sheska, had been let go for always reading instead of doing her job.

On the scant hope Sheska had the book or knew if it had been checked out everyone piled into the car and headed to her house.

Bloch knocked on the door but got no answer. Ed was about to force his way in anyway when Al held him back and turned to Hinata.

"Do you think you can . . . ?" He trailed off, uncertainly.

Hinata looked to Ross and Bloch, and then nodded.

"What's going on? What do you want her to do?" Bloch asked Al as Hinata handed Ryoga over to Ed.

"Hinata's eyes are . . . special." Al said.

"They're certainly unusual but how will they help us here?" Ross asked, frowning with puzzlement.

"You'll see, just try not to freak out." Ed said, giving Hinata's cat over to Al who was happy to take the feline.

Hinata formed the Boar Seal in front of her face, eyes narrowed with concentration and whispered. "Byakugan."

Her iris became visible and the arteries around her eyes enlarged. Since Ross was further down the steps, she was unable to see the change, but Bloch who was standing beside the girl did.

"What the -?" He cried out, backing away. He almost tipped over the railing but Hinata's hand was suddenly grasping the front of his uniform. She pulled him forward to safety, not even turning her head.

"Bloch, what happened?" Ross asked, pushing past Al.

"H-her eyes! They changed!" He stammered.

Hinata, though disheartened by their reaction, focused on seeing if there was anyone in the house.

"Oh my." She said.

"What is it?" Ed asked.

"The place is filled to the brim with books. There are stacks up to the ceiling!" Hinata muttered. She increased her focus so she was looking "past" the books to what might be hiding behind them.

"How does she know this?" Ross asked, tensed.

"Don't be so uptight. How do you think she went up against Scar?" Ed asked. "Her eyes can see past walls and stuff like they're not there. Hinata can even see into the body to the inner organs. There's not much that can be hidden from her." He almost seemed smug of his friend's talents.

"Get the door open!" Hinata suddenly cried out. Not waiting for the suddenly confused and worried people around her to react she wrenched the door open with minimal effort and plunged into the house.

"Wait! You can't just –," Ross cut herself off as she saw the inside. Everyone else crowded behind her to see what had left her so shocked.

"WHAAAT?!" Bloch cried out.

"She really wasn't kidding!" Al cried out.

"How can one person read all of this?" Ed gasped.

The room was indeed filled with books, some stacks reaching the ceiling as Hinata had told them. There so many on the floor that one would be forced to wade through the collection to get to the bits of clear floor that existed.

Hinata was on a big pile of books that seemed to have fallen from a couple of stacks. She was frantically tossing books aside . . . like she was digging. Her Byakugan was still activated, and her eyes locked onto one spot.

"Hinata, what's wrong?" Al asked, alarmed. He put Ryoga into his armor, not wanting the cat to end up being crushed under a pile of fatally piled books.

The feline did not seem entirely happy about the arrangement, but didn't fight Alphonse.

"Please, help me! Please!" A foreign female voice cried out, strangely distant.

"Don't just stand there, help me dig! She'll suffocate!" Hinata cried out without turning around.

"AHHH!" Everyone screamed, realizing where Sheska was, and they rushed to help Hinata who directed them with her Byakugan as to where to dig for the young woman.

After some mishaps they dug Sheska out in record time.

Sheska was a young woman with short brown hair and green eyes with squared glasses over them. She sipped at some tea Hinata had managed to get from the kitchen and sighed with relief at her rescue.

Hinata was also visibly relieved.

"Thank you so much! They said I'd probably die with my head in a book – I just didn't think they meant it literally." She said sheepishly, the white tea mug held tightly in her hands as she bowed low. Her rescuers laid panting on the space of floor they had cleared during their search for Sheska.

Hinata sat in a heap on the floor, her Byakugan deactivated, leaning against Al's leg. She could hear Ryoga meowing to be let out of Al's armor but decided against it, not wanting to lose her cat to Sheska's hoard of books.

"Sheska, you used to work in the library's First Branch, right?" Ed asked.

Sheska confirmed it, and lamented that she had lost the job due to her inability to stop reading. Worse, she had needed the job to pay for her sick mother's hospital bills.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Ed said sincerely before he added. "Let me cut to the chase, did you ever read a book written by Tim Marcoh while you worked there? It's important."

"Tim Marcoh?" Sheska repeated.

"Yeah, it was probably a thick, handwritten research journal." Ed said.

Sheska hummed and searched her memory. It was silent for a few moments and then the ex-librarian abruptly clapped her hands together.

"I remember it!" She said happily. "It was a leather bound volume with lots of handwritten pages and was very detailed!"

"Really?" Ed asked eagerly as everyone's hopes were raised.

Sheshka nodded.

"Yep, I remember all of the books! Especially the ones in the back." She said.

"The back?" Ed repeated weakly.

Hinata held her hand to her forehead, if Sheska was right and the book really had been in the back then it was 100% lost.

The Elric brothers sunk into a purple cloud of despair and Sheska related to their misery. Equating it to her sorrow at never finding the perfect book. That one that she badly wanted but was never able to locate.

Ed quickly reassured Sheska that she had been useful, since they now knew the book had at least existed. Now he claimed that he knew what his next move would be.

Everyone looked at him with surprise, and Hinata turned to Al, puzzled. The younger Elric shrugged his shoulders, not having a clue about what his brother had planned.

"You mean it isn't a total lost after all?" Bloch asked, voicing what everyone present was more or less thinking.

As an answer Ed had them all go back to the remains of the First Branch, even Sheska came along.

The Fullmetal Alchemist stated that he was going to transmute the ashes of the books back into their original form – but before he could even attempt it a strong wind came and blew the ashes away.

Ed collapsed to his knees in despair.

Then Sheska offered to recreate the book for them, claiming that she possessed a photographic memory and could perfectly recall every book she had ever read.

Hinata was amazed at their luck.

 **xxx**

And so, three days later, they all stood in Sheska's house before a large table holding piles of thick, handwritten booklets.

"This entire pile is Marcoh's research? Are you sure?" Ed asked, staring at the thick volumes.

"Yep, detailed step by step instructions for everything! From appetizing appetizers to delectable deserts! Its Tom Marcoh's one thousand recipes for making magic in the kitchen!" Sheska explained cheerfully.

Everyone bans Hinata gaped, who merely blinked. Ryoga, meanwhile, yawned luxuriously from his sanctuary inside Al's armor. Hinata was too nervous about him accidently getting crushed by books to let the feline wander around Sheska's house freely. Al was only too happy to accommodate.

Hinata walked over to the table and picked up one of the thinner journals, curiously examining the recipes written inside.

"Edward," She called, and held the journal out to him. "You and Al should probably look at this more closely."

Ed took the journal and started to leaf through it . . . his expression slowly becoming thoughtful. Al had grabbed a booklet and was looking through it too. Hinata smiled as realization crossed Ed's face. While she was not an expert in it the Hyuga knew coding and encryption when she saw it, having been part of a genin squad formed to gather intelligence.

"Sheska," Ed said.

Sheska looked to him from her huddle with Bloch and Ross, none of the three adults had been paying attention to the actions of the teenagers.

"Yes?" She asked, looking worried.

"Are you sure this is the same, word for word, as Marcoh's version?" Ed asked.

"Yes sir, no doubt about it!" Sheska insisted.

"Sheska, you really have an amazing talent!" Ed said, grinning. He nodded to Al and Hinata who promptly started collecting the booklets.

"Lieutenant Ross, make sure she's properly compensated." Ed instructed, handing Ross a piece of paper and his State issued pocket watch.

As the teens headed out the door Ed looked over his shoulder and told Ross she'd see a figure on that piece of paper and to take the watch to the State Treasury so the written amount could be taken out of his research budget.

Hinata carried a couple of books Al had handed to her, taken from Sheska's collection to help with the decoding. The younger Elric was holding the bulk of Marcoh's "cookbook" while Ed had some of the booklets tucked under his arm.

Ross suddenly caught up with them, and barred their way with her arms outstretched, asking Ed where he was heading.

Ed responded that they were heading to Central Library's main building since it had the resources they needed for decoding.

Ross protested. "No way, a library was where Scar was last sighted! We can't properly protect you in that kind of public venue either!"

"Figuring out a way to do your job is your problem Lieutenant Ross. Getting the Philosopher's Stone is mine!" Ed snapped and walked past her.

"Please understand, we finally got a lead." Al said to her as he walked pass. Hinata also smiled apologetically at Ross as she passed the woman.

"Sorry."

And then the Hyuga hurried after her friends.

 **xxx**

Once they had secured a private room in the building the three set to cracking the secret language. Al and Ed were optimistic about breaking the code quickly – Hinata however had a more realistic view of the task ahead and gently made suggestions to the brothers.

At first the two were confused about Hinata's insistence at keeping every theory or possible breaker organized – and then as the search wore on realized that keeping everything neat and tidy at the start helped them a great deal later on.

It was easier to work at decoding when previous attempts at cracking the code were before you, and prevented any mistakes at repeating an approach that had already been taken.

Hinata busied herself in other ways too.

While she had some experience in code breaking Hinata did not have quite enough knowledge of alchemy to be able to decode some parts. So she helped by making suggestions and pointing out approaches to the code that were unlikely to work.

Ryoga was made comfortable in a corner of the room, lying in a cat bed Hinata had purchased for him. He did not get in the way of the boys' work, more interested in any food Hinata may have for him. And more importantly any cuddles she would be willing to give.

The Hyuga also made sure Ed ate, and even prepared food for Ross and Bloch too with the meals she created in the staff kitchen.

Her food was received wonderfully. Al even put her dishes in the little book he own as a way to keep up his spirits – it was where he wrote down all the foods he'd like to try when he got his body back.

To say the least, Hinata was pleased and flattered when she found this out.

Then, as Armstrong had warned her, Hughes made an appearance.

He approached her first before going upstairs to see the Elric brothers – and after his customary display of pictures Hughes got down to business, questioning the girl privately in a reserved room. Hinata trusted the man, so she was honest with him about her eyes and the Gentle Fist. He jumped a bit when she displayed the Byakugan for him but recovered quickly enough and commented that it must be "handy" to have such powerful eyes.

Then he dropped an unexpected bomb on her and handed Hinata her citizenship papers.

"The story is that your mother changed her identity – which isn't a lie really – and allowed everyone to think she was dead. You, of course, found out her true identity and I offered to correct your legal ID." Hughes grinned. "Your mom actually had a nice bundle of money stashed away for you – and as her daughter all her parents savings transferred over to you since you're the only blood relative left. So, you're in a good position financially. By the way, you have to pretend that you've got no idea who you dad is – cause we both know that it's unlikely there's anyone in Amestris you can claim to have inherited your eyes from – dead or alive."

Hinata looked at her papers, not knowing what to say. Hughes must have had to go through some trouble to get these papers legally recognized while making sure her cover story cleared out.

"T-thank you." Hinata said, her bottom lip trembling.

"Hey now, there's no need to get emotional. I'm happy to do it! As an adult, it's my job to enable you – and you're such a nice young lady. Least I can do is take care of this so you have less to worry about." Hughes said kindly.

Hinata nodded, holding back the few tears that wanted to escape. An idea suddenly dawned on her and she smiled at Hughes sweetly.

"Um, I just finished making d-dinner. Would you like to take some back with you to y-your office when you leave?" She asked. The Hyuga wanted to do something – anything – helpful for this kind man who had gone very much out of his way to make her life here easier.

Hughes' eyes lit up.

"So you cook too! Oh I bet you'll make a great wife for one of the Elric brothers someday!" He crooned. The poor Hyuga immediately stiffened, mortified.

 _'Wife,'_ Echoed in Hinata's ears for several moments and - involuntarily – an image of Naruto briefly came to the front of her mind before being abruptly replaced by Alphonse.

"Hey! Don't faint on me, I was just teasing!" Hughes said, alarmed as Hinata's face turned the deepest red he had even seen on a person. He got up from his seat and walked over to side, worried.

"A-a-ah! I'm just f-f-friends with them!" Hinata managed to spit out as she tried to regain her composure. Her grip on the arm of her chair tightened as she forced herself to get a grip.

 _'Then why are you this red?'_ Hughes thought, but kindly didn't voice it. He had never thought he'd do this, but the officer decided he should probably refrain from teasing Hinata. Her reactions worried Hughes more than they amused him – which they didn't.

After downing a big glass of water Hinata was presentable again. The two left the private room they'd held their discussion in and the officer walked up the stairs to where the Elric brothers were, pouring over notes. Meanwhile Hinata made her way to the kitchen in order to retrieve the food.

When the Hyuga arrived upstairs, carefully balancing a laden tray in her hands, she walked in on a standoff between Ross and Ed. The former was attempting to convince Hughes to have Ed and Al moved to Headquarters so they would have better protection. Ed, predictably, was against it, pleading with the lieutenant colonel to let him and Al stay in the library, not wanting to lose his lead.

Hinata silently walked into the room and placed the tray onto the table near Ed. Deciding she better wait until the situation was resolved to serve dinner, Hinata then stepped back and patiently waited for Hughes' response to Ross' truthful argument.

Al watched his friend's graceful entrance and how she neatly stepped to the side to await Hughes' decision to Ed's plead. Her posture was straight, but not stiff, and hands folded neatly in front of her. The younger Elric was surprised he hadn't noticed before now how Hinata carried herself so elegantly.

Hughes finally sighed, and apologized to Ed, stating that Ross had a very good point.

"But then again this isn't really my department," Hughes commented, crossing his arms. "Why don't you take it up with Armstrong?"

Ed and Ross immediately began to beg him not to involve the Major, the latter cut herself off when she realized what she was saying, but the former only paused briefly before pleading once more with his friend.

"Lieutenant Colonel, come on I'm begging you. We're close to it now, I can feel it!" The Fullmetal Alchemist said quietly.

Scratching his head Hughes sighed, and said, "What'd I'd like to do is give you more protection! Hinata may have been able to protect you last time, and she'll probably be able to do it again, but I'm not going to risk her getting even more messed up in a second confrontation with Scar. Unfortunately all of my men are either working to find Scar or scrambling to replace the case files lost in the fire."

"All your case files?" Ed asked.

"Yep, suspect list, crime scene logs, all of it." Hughes said grimly.

"You're in luck!" Ed said, grinning widely.

Hinata couldn't help but think that providence really seemed to favor Ed.

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed it! Happy Easter to you all!**

 **Sign**

 _ **Snowlily246**_


	16. Pain

**A million apologies for the long wait. I've joined a club and college has just been . . . well, you know. All the English classes I take require lots of mental energy. Anyway enough excuses! This chapter is a bit shorter than what you're used to but I was anxious to give you guys something. Read and Review please!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or Naruto nor do I own the characters that belong to each series. I own only Ryoga and I made up Hinata's mom and her backstory for this.**

* * *

Chapter 16

In no time at all everyone was piled into cars and Sheska was paid a visit.

Hinata observed Ross as Sheska admitted to reading the military records since she had run out of books to read during her employment at the First Branch.

"If she can do what you say she can it'd be a really big help for us, Ed," Hughes said.

"She can do it alright!" Ed assured the older man with a grin. "So what do you say? Does she have the job?"

"Really? You think a weirdo like me who's only skill is reading can work for the military?" Sheska asked. Hinata understood her awe all too well.

"Don't sell yourself short Sheska. This world needs people like you who are good at something and really care about it. You have a gift Sheska, you should own it. Be proud of yourself." Al said kindly.

Sheska took in his words, and then with a determined expression turned to Hughes.

"Thank you Al. I'll take the job Mr. Hughes, if you want me to." She said and bowed forward. "Thank you for your consideration."

"Sure, you're hired!" Hughes said cheerfully. Hinata noted that he definitely looked as if some weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "Now that that's settled let's get right to work, and you should know, I pay better than Ed!"

The room filled with laughter, Hinata smiled, but noticed that Ross was disheartened. She definitely didn't seem happy.

"Well?" Ed said, trying and failing to appear nonchalant.

"I guess you win Ed. Now I can free up a couple of additional men to cover security in the library." Hughes said.

Yes, Ross was upset and far from happy.

"Wow, thanks," Ed said. "I wasn't even thinking about that as a possible outcome!"

"Yeah right!" Hughes said dryly.

He told Sheska to be at Central Command on seven o'clock sharp and headed out, wishing everyone a good night. Ross quickly excused herself, ignoring Bloch's questioning eyes.

Hinata smiled sadly and heard Alphonse come up behind her.

"She'll come around." Al assured her quietly.

"I hope so."

 **xxx**

When they returned to the library Ryoga was gone.

At first Hinata wasn't worried, she helped the brothers find some books, coached Ed to sleep a bit and conversed with Al for a while.

Ryoga still didn't return.

By the time Ed roused from his nap Hinata had already made up her mind to go out and search for her cat.

"Its dark out Hinata," Al said, concerned. "Be careful, okay?"

"I-I will," Hinata said shyly. His concern made her embarrassed for some reason.

"Don't worry Al," Ed yawned from where he was decoding another section. "She took on Scar – I think she'll be alright."

Al agreed uneasily.

Ross and Bloch were equally reluctant to let her go but Hinata convinced them she would be fine. In any case their priority were the Elric brothers – while Armstrong had requested they look after her as well she wasn't part of the assignment.

It was a bit cool out, and Hinata wished she'd brought a jacket with her as she walked the streets, calling out for Ryoga and attempting to lure him to her with bits of his favorite treats.

A lengthy amount of time passed – but Ryoga didn't show himself.

Hinata eventually started to retract her steps back to the library. Biting her lip, she wondered if he had returned to the library already and was waiting for her – the girl couldn't bring herself to believe it.

"Hello,"

That voice.

Hinata looked over her shoulder, alarmed. How had she not sensed anyone coming up behind her?

A beautiful woman with long, coal-black hair and violet eyes was leaning against the building. A very . . . plump . . . man with a large nose stood beside her, his thumb stuck in his mouth and he watched Hinata curiously with large, innocent eyes.

"Surprised? Don't worry, we just came to tell you how you can get your precious pet back." The woman mocked.

Hinata tensed, and glared at her even though her insides were quivering. How had they snuck up on her?

"W-who are you?" Hinata demanded, cursing her stutter.

"That's not important at the moment, what is important is that you come with us," The stranger said. "That is, if you want to see your overgrown rodent again."

As she spoke Hinata took her in the tattoo the woman had above her breast.

A snake eating its own tail.

"Homunculi," She breathed, remembering her mother's warning of that symbol. "You're . . . you're the ones who attacked Mother!"

The female Homunculi's eyebrows rose a tad.

"Oh," She said. "I wasn't aware you knew that much. She must have left information behind for you to find."

Hinata shifted her footing, both Homunculi watched her, amused and curious.

"So, that's how you fought off the Scarred Man," The woman said, purple lips curving into a smile. "With those eyes of yours. I heard that they're quite the advantage."

"Prove to me that you have Ryoga," Hinata said. "I won't come with you unless I know if he's alive."

"I can prove that I have him," The woman said, and she threw something at Hinata's feet. The girl kneeled down to pick it up, maintaining her guard, and was dismayed to see that it was Ryoga's collar.

There was a bit of blood on it.

She swallowed her anger, and said. "How do I know he's alive?"

"Oh he's alive. That rodent isn't ordinary by any stretch of the imagination. We want him alive, just like you. If you disobey, however, we're willing to make the sacrifice."

Hinata didn't doubt her words. She tighten her grip on the collar and looked up at them.

"I'll cooperate." She said. Hinata hoped the brothers would forgive her for this.

The woman smiled.

They knocked her out with something – Hinata wasn't sure what it they had used but it did its job. She was out before it had fully registered that they'd pricked her neck with something.

She woke up in a dark room, from the faint warmth on her eyelids it was being lit by a lantern. Hinata made sure her hair covered her temples before activating her Byakugan to see through her eyelids.

 _'I really should grow it out -,'_ The girl thought idly as she took stock of her surroundings. _'In situations like these it'll be easier to hide my blood limit.'_

"Was it difficult?"

The voice was hard to identify, it could have been male or female easily. Its owner's appearance didn't really help either. He . . . she. . . Hinata went with "he" had long green hair held away from his face by a headband. The hair resembled a palm tree, funnily enough. The man wore a halter top over a flat chest which made Hinata assume he was male, and a skort.

The woman and other male were with him but Hinata's attention was on something entirely different. Every single one of them had what she realized were liquefied red stones running through their veins. They definitely weren't human.

"Not at all," The woman said. "Once I gave her proof we had the cat she came along quite easily."

"How sentimental." The new man mocked.

"Can I eat her?" The plump one begged. He went so far as to tug at the woman's dress like a child begging its mother for sweets.

"No Gluttony, you cannot." The woman said firmly. "She's off limits, on Master's orders."

Gluttony did not press her.

"So, she's going to serve as a hostage?" The man asked.

"Yes, but we'll have to secure Fullmetal's brother too – he's the only one we can kill. We'll only be able to bluff about killing Hyuga."

"And once we get the pipsqueak to form the Stone . . ." The man chuckled, low and menacingly. "I'll get rid of him and his brother. Two birds – one stone."

"That only applies to you Envy," The woman said carelessly. "My priority is getting the girl and the Stone to Master."

"I know Lust."

Gluttony. Envy. Lust. Yes, the names fit with the information her mother left behind. She mentioned that she only knew the name of one; he identified himself as Greed.

Hinata decided it was time to "wake up" and she deactivated her Byakugan. Slowly, to give the impression she was disoriented, she used her arms to prop herself up. They hadn't tied her arms and legs to keep her from running – it was likely they probably counted on her desire to get Ryoga to keep her from attempting an escape.

They were half right.

"She's up Lust, she up!" Gluttony cried out. He clapped his hands together excitedly.

"About time," Lust said. "I didn't think such a small dosage would keep you out for this long."

"Where am I?" Hinata demanded quietly. "Where is Ryoga?"

"Your little pet is fine, mouse" Envy snickered. "Though you might not recognize him."

Hinata swallowed thickly.

"Who are you? I k-know people with your tattoos a-attacked Mother but . . ." She spoke hesitantly, allowing her unease to creep into her voice so the Homunculi would let their guard down around her, even if only a little.

"That would be yours truly," Envy said. He seemed to be very amused with her for some reason. "A century ago, give or take, the former Lust and I were charged with keeping an eye on your dear mommy."

 _'Former Lust?'_ Hinata thought.

"Envy," Lust said, a warning in her tone.

"Yes, yes I know. We mustn't tell our little mouse too much yet." Envy yawned.

"W-why do you keep calling me, "mouse"?" Hinata inquired.

"Your voice is ridiculously small and squeaky. I've already pegged the Fullmetal brat as pipsqueak."

Pipsqueak.

 _'Oh boy,'_ Hinata thought weakly. _'Ed will be out for Envy's blood when he hears the new nickname. Hopefully Al and I can get him to retreat when the time comes. They'll find me if I don't escape before then, I know they will.'_

She said nothing though.

"So human girl," Lust said. His violet eyes staring into Hinata's with vested interested. "Would your eyes work for someone else?"

 _'Has their master become interested in my Byakugan?'_ The girl wondered. It wouldn't be a surprise if that was the case, and it looked as if it was. Still, Hinata wasn't worried for her clan's secrets. Even if the worst happened and they took her eyes no one on this side of the Gate, including their master, was able to utilize chakra. Even if they were able to learn how to control their chakra, they possessed no prior knowledge on how to use the Byakugan or any other chakra technique.

Her eyes were safe, as were the secrets inside them her uncle and countless others had died to protect.

"Interested?" Hinata asked softly. "They'll be of no use to you or your master. None of you have the specific power required to unlock the Byakugan's abilities or the teachings needed to control them. Your master is wasting their time, make sure they understand that."

She had not stuttered during her answer at all, not even once. That told Lust that Hinata was speaking truthfully.

"Hmm," Lust walked over to Hinata, arms cross beneath her bosom and looked down at the girl. "My master will be the judge of that, Hinata. Thank you though, for all the information."

Hinata merely blinked once and smiled sadly.

"It wasn't an issue," She said. "It's not as if it can be used against me anyway. Can I see Ryoga now?"

"If it kills her can I eat it?" Gluttony asked, sticking a thumb into his mouth. Lust placed a hand on his head in an almost motherly gesture.

"Perhaps, Gluttony."

The fat homunculi's answering smile was so twisted that it transformed his innocent-looking face into something sinister and monster-like. Hinata couldn't repress the shudder that went through her as she caught sight of the symbol on Gluttony's tongue. It was just like the one above Lust's breasts but Hinata couldn't remember the name of it.

 _'Ryoga, what did they do to you?'_ Hinata wondered as Envy left the room.

 **xxx**

"Brother, Hinata hasn't come back, and Ryoga isn't here either," Al fretted as Ed took a short break at the former's behest. It was daybreak, Hinata had to have been gone for at least five hours.

Fullmetal tapped his pencil against the table. He was worried too.

Abruptly, the older brother got up from his chair.

"Come on Al," He said. "Let's go take a walk. I should stretch my legs a bit, don't you think?"

Knowing his brother's real intentions Al nodded. "Yeah."

Before Ed could take another step, the doors opened. It was Armstrong, and he seemed . . . solemn.

"Major Armstrong," Al said. "Have you seen Hinata?'

Ed felt dread rise in his stomach when the major didn't answer immediately. Behind him, Ross and Bloch hovered at the doorway, both looked worried and confused.

"I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news but . . ." Armstrong pulled something out of his pocket and placed it on the table. Ed stared, it was Ryoga's collar, smeared with blood. Beside it was a clear, plastic bag containing a syringe that had been, without question, used recently.

"A pair of officers on patrol found these a few blocks away. Witnesses have also reported a girl matching Hinata's description walking along that area. They claim she seemed to be searching for a pet, based on the treats she had on her."

No. No. No. _No._

When the brothers remained silent, Armstrong continued.

"Testing was also done on the remaining substance in the syringe, it's a powerful drug used for sedating -,"

"How long ago?" Al whispered.

"This," Armstrong motioned to the evidence on the table. "Was discovered almost two hours ago. Forgive me for not contacting you immediately but I wished to be sure it was young Hinata."

Ed chose that moment to snap out of his horrified stupor.

"Then what are we waiting for?!" He said, slamming a hand on the table. It shook and writing utensils as well as bits of paper fell to the ground. Bloch squeaked but Ed paid him no mind.

"We need to go look for her!" Al added. Memories of Winry almost being killed by Barry the Chopper were flooding his mind. "Do you think it was Scar that took her?"

"No," Armstrong said. "I managed to find people who put two suspects in Hinata's location the time we estimated she was . . . taken. One was described as a short, fat man. The other, as a woman with long dark hair and pale skin. That was all I was able to discover, more information may come up, in time."

"Hinata doesn't have time!" Ed raged. "Who knows -,"

"I am well aware of what may have happened to her Edward. This is not my first case looking into a disappearance," Armstrong said quietly, cooling Ed's initial fear induced panic. "I know you and Alphonse want to assist, and the best way you can do that is by continuing to decipher Marcho's notes. They may very well be the reason Hinata was taken. Do you disagree?"

Ed's hands balled into fist.

"Major –," Al started to say, his voice pleading.

"I will look into this," Armstrong interrupted him. "I swear to you I will exhaust every lead and put all my effort into locating Hinata. Once you are finished with Marcoh's notes, you may join the search."

"Sir!" Ross objected but Bloch quickly shushed her.

"Brother, we have to go!" Al said. "We have to find her!"

Ed was quiet, then his eyes settled on the papers still scattered across the table, specifically those on which Hinata's graceful penmanship was written in the corners with suggestions or reminders. Always helping, always trying to make his and Al's lot a bit more bearable.

Never once had she expressed regret in helping them.

"With our luck chances are her disappearance does have something to do with this – or her mom," Ed said. "If we finish this, and find the secrets Marcoh was so desperate to hide we may find out where she could have been taken."

Al leaned forward. "We don't know that!"

"What _do_ we know, Alphonse?" Ed demanded. "She could be anywhere in the city – Hinata could have even been taken outside of it by now!"

It was quiet as Edward and Alphonse stared each other down, finally, Al lowered his head.

"Okay," He said quietly.

Ross jogged to catch up with her superior, ignoring Bloch's pleas to let it go. Well that was out of the question!

"Sir," She said. "Sir I need to talk to you."

"If this is about allowing the Elric brothers to roam the city for Hinata I can assure you that they will be provided with protection." Armstrong said. He'd stopped walking but kept his back to her.

"Major Armstrong, I'm worried about the girl as well," Ross said. "But I have to point out the ease it took to take her, an individual who was able to fight Scar one on one. I have to disagree with your decisions to promise them they'll be allowed to look for her and telling them Hinata was taken in the first place!"

Armstrong turned to look at her then.

"Lieutenant Ross," He said. "If I kept that information from them they wouldn't trust me again for some time – a considerable time. They are both attached to Hinata as a friend and comrade. Keeping her predicament from them would only anger the two. They ignore authority enough as it is, I need their trust," He sighed. "And truthfully I do believe that Marcoh's notes may have answers for what happened to that poor child."

Ross looked down. "I . . . I understand. My apologies."

"You don't need to apologize my dear. You're simply looking out for them."

Ross watched the major walk away before returning to her post.

 **xxx**

Ryoga. Her poor Ryoga.

Hinata barely recognized him.

The Homunculi had taken her to a room they'd been keeping Ryoga in without much badgering, much to Hinata's surprise. Then she saw Ryoga for the first time since he'd gone missing and understood.

His fur remained pitch-black, his eyes golden, and body . . . feline, but her friend was now much, much bigger; easily the size of a panther. In fact, his body was now oddly panther-like. Whoever had experimented on him had probably introduced panther DNA into his own.

Hinata had never resented a person she knew nothing about so much.

Ryoga had been chained to the back wall, and was thrashing, clearly in pain. Hinata rushed over to him, stopping only a short step away from being in range of his teeth, not sure if he recognized her.

"Just so you know he's been injected with a painful neurotoxin. Attempt an escape and the stress of it will likely kill him. That or I will," Lust said from the doorway. "So be a good little mouse and stay put."

The door shut before Hinata could reply. She heard Envy's laughter on the other side and held back frustrated tears.

"Ryoga?" She said cautiously, activating her Byakugan. There wasn't any cameras in the room nor anyone spying which was a relief. It was one less thing for her to stress over.

Lust had been telling the truth. Hinata could see Ryoga's nervous system was completely and utterly a mess – he couldn't fully control his body because the signals had been mixed up and the smallest movement caused him pain.

Horrible, foul, immoral . . .

Hinata took a deep breath. Now wasn't the time to rant, now was the time to help Ryoga. She needed to expel the toxin from his body and repair the damage it had done. The Hyuga couldn't do that if Ryoga didn't let her touch him though. So now it was time for a gamble.

"Ryoga?" Hinata said again, keeping her voice soft.

Her friend looked up at her and Hinata's hopes skyrocketed when she thought she caught a spark of recognition in his eyes.

"Ryoga," She said. "Let me help you."

She outstretched her hand, putting it in range of his now huge, bone crushing teeth. It was silent as he panted and regarded her for a moment.

Hinata began to smile in relief just as he lunged forward.

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed this - and yes I know the cliffhanger is a bit mean but I couldn't help myself. Read and Review!**

 **Sign**

 _ **Snowlily246**_


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